What happens when Blue meets Green?
by Ravenclaw's-Fangirl
Summary: Druna. Draco has been set the impossible task of killing Albus Dumbledore, and he believes it is the only way to save himself and his family. But when he encounters the strange Luna Lovegood he considers if there may another option. Could her talk of nargles and blibbering humdingers help save him? Set in Half Blood Prince year. May include AU, rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1: An interesting train journey

**What Happens When Blue Meets Green**

_A/N: Hi guys, this is my first fanfiction so I'm not really that experienced in what most fanfiction readers enjoy. I tried to write in a style that would satisfy at least myself if I were to read it. It would be really helpful if you'd review it and give suggestions on how to improve!_ _This may include some AU._

**Chapter 1**

Luna skipped onto the Hogwarts express, her long blonde hair flowing behind her like a strands of sunshine and her cerulean eyes twinkling with anticipation. The summer holiday had been packed with perpetual hunting for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks with her dad but she had missed her new found friends a lot. Friends! She thought to herself ecstatically. She'd never had friends before; she'd always been "Loony Lovegood" who only ever thought of Nargles and Blibbering Humdingers. Of course that wasn't true; although she was intensely interested in the prospect of becoming a naturalist and discovering all sorts of whimsical and ethereal animals, her mind was occupied with more sensible thoughts like other teenage witches and witches, such as learning magic which fascinated her beyond anything, and her friends, which she had longed to have for four years. The name Loony Lovegood had never really made her upset, why should she worry over the insipid opinions of close-minded teenagers after all?

As she stepped onto the train, Luna spotted a beacon of ginger hair owned by Ron Weasley, and heard the insistent voice of Hermione Granger in one of the carriages. This of course meant Harry would be there too! Luna couldn't thank Harry enough for all he'd done, ever since the Dumbledore's Army meetings last year he had made her feel welcome like no-one ever had before. At the end of the year she'd even fought alongside the famous trio at the Ministry of Magic, and helped them out by suggesting they rode the thestrals. Luna couldn't help but grin at that, to think she'd assisted Harry Potter and his friends! But unfortunately Harry's godfather Sirius had died there and that left all six of the teenagers who had fought at the ministry feeling morose and dejected. A lot of people at Hogwarts only really noticed Harry because he was famous, but Luna didn't care about things like that. What drew her to Harry was his kindness, bravery and acceptance, plus he was extremely talented in his magical ability which gained him a lot of respect from Luna.

Luna shook herself from her thoughts and skipped blissfully towards the carriage where her friends awaited. Suddenly a towering figure with slick blonde hair collided rather vigorously into her petite figure. She stumbled backwards and looked into the boy's stormy grey eyes. Her wand flew out from behind her ear where she kept it for safekeeping. "Watch where you're going Loony!" The boy spat. Draco Malfoy. She felt no sympathy for him after the horrible things he'd said to her friends in the past. He had called Hermione a _mudblood _for goodness sake! Luna picked up her wand sheepishly.

"I believe you are mistaken, it seemed you purposefully bumped into me. You may have wrackspurts floating around your head, you should check that out with Madame Pomfrey." Luna retorted serenely, not trying to be unkind but Draco still looked taken aback. He quickly painted a look of disgust onto his pale face.

"What the fuck are wrackspurts? I don't even know why I'm still talking to you Lovegood."

He began to walk away as Luna said, "There is no need or that kind of language. I'm sorry if I upset you, Draco." He spun around, anger setting alight the confusion that had settled in his eyes. "What did you just call me?!" He yelled at her.

"I-" Luna began, but was swiftly cut off.

"Nobody calls me Draco, but my friends. Which you most certainly are not." Draco growled, his face inches from hers. Luna's heart was beating faster than the wheels of the train that were just beginning to turn but she tried to keep her voice steady. She opened her mouth to say something, when the train lurched forward and she stumbled into Draco. He looked like he was about to hex her but seemed of think better of it, when a boy with bright green eyes and a lightning scar strode into the carriage. "Stay away from her, Malfoy." Harry snarled, gently taking Luna's arm and pulling her towards their seats. Draco turned away without another word and swaggered into his own compartment where his sneering Slytherin classmates awaited.

"Thank you Harry!" Luna said, a smile paralysed to her face as she recalled the joyful memories of the previous year at the sight of her first friend's face.

"No problem, I don't get what Malfoy's problem is! How was your summer anyway?" Harry grinned opening the door to the compartment where Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were lounging around talking animatedly.  
"We didn't manage to spot any crumple horned Snorkacks this year. It was still very pleasant though!" Luna beamed, and turned to the other four. "Hello!"

They all greeted each other and exchanged stories of their summers. Luna ordered some Pepper Imps (sweets that make you breathe fire) from the trolley, and delighted in the curls of orange flame that emanated from her mouth.

* * *

Draco threw himself onto the seat of the Hogwarts express with a sigh that was made from all the emotions that had been clogging up his arteries. Pansy Parkinson stroked his arm soothingly, "Don't worry, whatever the task the dark lord has set you will go just fine."

He rolled his eyes, Pansy didn't know anything; apart from she adored him so obviously she had some things right! She didn't understand the weight of the responsibility he held was. She thought he was just trying to prove himself to the Voldemort, when really he just wanted to help his family. And Loony Lovegood had just completely disconcerted him on his way to the sixth year Slytherin carriage. He had been fulfilling his duty as school bully, as much as the summer had changed him, he felt the need to keep up appearances, and decided to purposefully bump in to her. He had winced as she fell backwards but suddenly she had begun to talk back at him, it was only to be expected from a friend of bloody Saint Potter; but Luna had seemed more of the quiet type who never really talked to anyone or had any friends. And she had called him Draco. A friend of Potter's would never do anything like that. Only his friends and family called him Draco, even though it was his name! I guess people know they're not worthy of speaking my first name, Draco chuckled to himself, but immediately abandoned the thought. He needed to think better of Potter if he was truly going to be the one to assuage Voldemort. Draco thirsted for Voldemort to be gone so his family could be safe and he didn't have to fulfil the task that had been set him. He longed for the taste of freedom flowing past his parched lips.

Draco had found himself desperate for help. Desperate enough even for Harry Potter. He sighed wearily, remembering as a child being told by his father that he would be famous in Hogwarts for being from a rich, pureblood family. Yeah right, famous for being a bully maybe. Draco had believed that people would be begging for his friendship, but Harry Potter, the boy who lived and who he had believed had changed the world for the better had rejected him. And as he'd rescinded the offer he swore never to become friends with Harry Potter or any of his companions. First year Draco hadn't known that insulting a bloody Weasley would make everyone hate him, and then he was accepted only by morons such as Crabbe and Goyle and his life as the Hogwarts Bully began. Of course it had been his choices that made him who he was, if he'd apologised to Weasley and refrained from calling Granger a mudblood, and just been nicer to everyone he could have been friends with Potter, but he hadn't. Now, of course, he wouldn't want to be friends with Scarhead, favoured by that old fool Dumbledore. At the end of the year he always added as many points as he could onto Gryffindor to stop the Slytherins from winning, that was Draco's theory anyway. However, Draco still didn't want to do the task he had been set. He didn't want to kill Dumbledore. His stomach lurched at the thought. He remembered with horror Voldemort whispering in his ear, his own faked expression of delight, Bellatrix hooting fanatically and the look of disgust on his own mother's face.

Narcissa Malfoy had always been different, she didn't find it fun to torture mudbloods and she was never as fervid in Death Eater meetings. Draco found himself admiring his mother for that, but she seemed to never talk to him anymore ever since the task was set. She never really talked to anyone. She stayed locked up in her room, and when she came out Draco could see the tearstains on her pallid cheeks and the wrinkles that had formed around her eyes like tiny ripples of water in a vast ocean of despondent emotion. When he saw her looking so ill and weak it was like his organs were being twisted and pulverised inside of him.

"Draco, Draco are you okay?!" He heard a voice calling. Pansy. Draco shook himself from his thoughts that were licking afflictuously at the edges of his skull and looked at her. Her concerned gaze brushed over him like thick appeasing paint. "Are you okay, you look really ill." She asked him.

"Fine." Draco said, he wasn't sure if he could say any more than one word. Pansy nodded but still looked unsure, and routinely glanced over at him. "Are you sure you don't want to lie down or something?" She asked. Draco smiled; it was nice having someone caring about him for once, even if it could get annoying. He laid his head on her lap and could sense her grinning. The door opened and Blaise Zabini slipped in. Zabini seemed to be somewhat a rival to Draco, he wanted to be adored by his fellow Slytherins as Draco was, and was intensely jealous of him for his position in the Slytherin leadership ladder, the top. They still managed to maintain a kind of friendship that consisted mainly of obsequious conversation and nodding to each other in the corridor. Right now he seemed to be having some trouble with the door, Draco pushed down a laugh that was rising in his throat. Eventually Blaise fell back onto Goyle's lap, and at that Draco laughed aloud, as did all the others. Perhaps this year at Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad, at least he was laughing and smiling again. As Goyle and Zabini snarled at each other furiously, Draco was sure he saw a trainer floating through the air.

Eventually it was time to evacuate the train, and Draco walked out the door with his fellow Slytherins who seemed to be making a bestial game of pushing anxious looking first and second years out of the way. Draco's thoughts flitted back to the image of Luna stumbling backwards, looking contemptuously at him from her blue eyes so cool that it made him shiver. He shook the thought from his mind, had she put him under the imperius curse or something?! The thought was almost laughable if he hadn't remembered the thought of the death eaters shouting imperius at various members of the wizarding world and the blank stares it entailed.

Pansy reached for his hand but Draco had something else on his mind. The flash of white he was sure he's seen flying towards the luggage rack. "You go on." He said, and at that moment Luna Lovegood walked past and giggled slightly at the sight of Pansy's disappointed face. Draco stared at her and when she looked at him her expression of glee almost immediately turned to one of distaste. "What are you looking at Lovegood? I don't appreciate being stared at by unworthy blood traitors." Draco snarled, his annoyance growing by the second.

"I just find it strange that you go around bullying others when you don't have many real ones yourself." The girl said placidly, before bounding ridiculously cheerfully away.  
"As if she's one to talk about the number of friends one has." He muttered, before turning to Pansy. "I want to check something." He called to Pansy, looking away quickly, and returned to the carriage.

* * *

Once in there Draco pointed his wand at the spot where he had seen the mysterious shoe retreat to. "Petrificus Totalus!" He shouted. And a few seconds later a cacophonous and ear splitting crash resounded at his feet. A blanket of some sort slid from the body and revealed none other than the stupid chosen one. Impulsively Draco began to speak, pure revulsion in his voice. "I thought so, I heard Goyle's trunk hit you. And I thought I saw something white flash through the air after Zabini came back." His eyes lingered on Harry's trainers. "That was you blocking the door when Zabini came back in I suppose? You didn't hear anything I care about Potter, but whilst I've got you here…"  
Draco impetuously stamped down on Harry's face. A lurid cracking sound swan through the air and blood spurted from Harry's nose like crimson lava.

Draco cursed his stupidity immediately and abandoned the feeling ecstasy that had resided within him. How was Potter ever going to listen to him now? Draco threw the cloak over Harry, he couldn't afford to get into trouble for anything now, so maybe if Potter didn't end up at Hogwarts no-one would find out…  
Hopefully by the time he got back, which Draco was sure he would find a way to do, he would be too ecstatic to be at Hogwarts to say anything.

He strode out of the room and accidentally trod on Harry's fingers. He was losing concentration, maybe Lovegood's craziness was contagious, turning him barmy. He traipsed off the train trying to tell himself _not_ to think of Loony Lovegood which, of course, meant he was thinking about her the whole time.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome back!

_A/N__: _ _I hope you are enjoying this and thanks to anyone who has favourited/followed so far! It would be really helpful if you could review these first two chapters because I'd like to know if people are actually enjoying it :)_

Chapter 2

The Great Hall was buzzing with chatter as people animatedly recalled the summer to their friends and participated in scintillating conversation. Luna hummed to herself as she looked over the sea of azure, red, jade and yellow. Settling down at the Ravenclaw table, she let her mind wander to thoughts of what her fifth year would hold. Something maniacal and admittedly rather alarming had happened each year she'd been at Hogwarts. In her first year there was the opening of the Chamber of Secrets; in her second year supposed murderer Sirius Black (who she know knew was innocent) had gotten into the castle; in her third year there was the Triwizard Tournament and horrifying death of Cedric Diggory; and in her fourth year the reign of Umbridge had been torture for everyone.

Once the sorting was over, Dumbledore strode to the Lectern, which seemed to be an owl encased in layers of gold, positioned in its final graceful flight. Candles sprouted from the tips of its wings and let off flickering bursts of light. Luna loved that such a simple muggle invention was still used by the wizarding community; it proved that muggles were not as vile and moronic as some people made them out to be. He spread his arms out wide and Luna gasped when she saw his hand which looked dark violet and diseased. It seemed as if everyone else had noticed aswell because a train of whispers rattled through the crowd, finding its destination only when Dumbledore spoke out airily, "Nothing to worry about. Now, to our new students, welcome; to our old students welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you!"

* * *

A timid looking first year shuffled over to sit next to Luna and emitted a squeak from her mouth. "Pardon?" Luna said kindly to the girl, offering a genial smile to make the girl feel comfortable.

"Hi, I'm Madeline." She said, not quite reaching Luna's eyes and tucking a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her pixie-like ears. "I was wondering if you're Luna Lovegood, because I love The Quibbler and I'd like to learn more about nargles and heliopaths." Madeline's voice was quivering and she was nervously wringing her hands.

"Yes I am! And I know lots about nargles and heliopaths! Welcome to Ravenclaw, with your curious mind you'll fit right in." Luna said. The soft pink ribbons that were the girl's lips were gently tugged upwards, until the shy smile she had once possessed was transformed into a beam that spread from ear to ear. She looked down at her azure lined robes and stroked the soft cotton tenderly, "I've always wanted to be in Ravenclaw!" Madeline giggled with pure delight. Padma Patil came over to join them and Madeline immediately engaged in conversation with her, obviously having found inaugural confidence in talking to Luna.

Luna turned around to check on her friends in Gryffindor, she had noticed that she hadn't seen Harry in the Great Hall yet, but there he was talking to Hermione and Ron in hushed voices whilst other members of Gryffindor appeared to be taking an interest in their conversation and attempting to eavesdrop. She scanned her eyes over the copious mass of students pulsating with energetic chatter, similar to bees in hive in the way they buzzed and swarmed around the long, wooden tables. She glimpsed none other than Draco staring at her, his charcoal grey eyes alight with interest mixed with slight irritation. Luna met his gaze and immediately looked away in embarrassment. She was used to people staring at her, but usually it was spiteful groups of girls who erupted into malicious giggles the moment she looked away, rather than Draco's curiosity.

Ginny and Hermione ambled towards Luna. "We're going to the library, do you want to come?" Hermione asked. Luna nodded and walked off beside them, hoping this year she'd get Hermione to become more open-minded.

* * *

Draco couldn't rupture the stare he had trained on Luna, he was trying to comprehend why she had called him by his first name on the train; or how she could keep so serene when the wizarding world was falling apart; or even her blithe tolerance of a stupid first year that reminded him strangely of a shy but eager squirrel. He didn't understand how she could babble on about wrackspurts and nargles when there were much more threatening and nefarious issues in the world.

When Dumbledore began his speech, Draco winced, remembering the task the Dark Lord had set him. Draco's mind was at war with itself, whether to kill Dumbledore and be a murderer or not to kill him and himself and his family be at the mercy of Voldemort. He knew this meant they would all by killed themselves, and probably in the most torturous and barbaric way possible. To distract himself Draco began to levitate a fork which then fell to the table surface with a raucous clatter as he heard the announcement that Snape was to become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, a job Snape had coveted for years. Draco clapped mildly enthusiastic but couldn't bring himself to join in with the emphatic, deafening cheers of the Slytherins that surrounded him, his mind was too cluttered with depressing thoughts which rampaged around his mind like escaped prisoners with the taste of freedom almost touching their parched lips.

Finally the cheers of the Slytherins, and groans of the other houses subsided and Draco heard the chattering of Pansy.

"Draco you seem to be very pensive today, snap out of your thoughts!" She said causing a couple of other Slytherins to chuckle before he gave them a tempestuous glare, his eyes dancing with irritation as his pupils widened into pools of aggravation.  
"I was just looking at Loony and wondering how she could be so strange." He muttered.

"We all already know what a weirdo Lovegood is; don't waste your ingenious mind on thinking about her." Pansy said vociferously, palpable pride evident in her voice. Draco couldn't help but agree with her, and decided not to waste any more of his thoughts on the freak. He accepted his agreement and said, "I seriously dislike her, she started saying I had some kind of brain disease called Wrackspurts and then called me by my first name? What's all that about?!"  
"You seem to be talking about her a lot for someone you hate…" Crabbe offered in response.  
"Shut up Crabbe, nobody asked for your stolid opinion. I don't know if you're suggesting Draco has a," Pansy shuddered, "crush on Lovegood, but in case you haven't noticed, I happen to be Draco's girlfriend." Draco's eyes widened in astonishment equalled by the other sixth year Slytherins seated around the table.

"Really?" Goyle murmured to him. "I didn't realise." Draco decided that he would confirm the unexpected statement with a curt nod, because he thought that a relationship with Pansy would hopefully take him mind off the curiosity that was forming in him for Luna Lovegood. He knew it wasn't for the right reasons but decided that he could grow to enjoy Pansy's infatuation with him.  
"See!" Pansy exclaimed with elation, kissing Draco's pale cheek. He smiled around at all his friends but he couldn't help but feel that he was digging himself into a hole of lies.

* * *

"So how're things going with Dean?" Hermione whispered to Ginny, peeping over her favourite book "Hogwarts: A History" that she seemed to idolise. Luna wasn't entirely sure if this was the real Hermione, giving away seconds that could be spent reading none other than her cherished "Hogwarts: A History" and also _talking_ in a library! "Okay, but it's weird to think he's friends with my brother. It must be so awkward sharing a dorm with him. You know what brothers are like, if only from your experience in the Weasley household. It's also weird is that my best friend fancies my brother!" Ginny chuckled, nudging Hermione.

"Shut up, Ginny." Hermione said jokingly, but turning an embarrassed shade of cardinal, felt feverous abashment creeping slowly up her cheeks.

"So are you, er, interested in anyone Luna?" Ginny smiled, trying to include her in the conversation.

"Don't ask her that Ginny! You know she's rather, erm, contrasting to the majority of Wizarding society." Hermione sibilated in Ginny's ear, hoping Luna wouldn't hear but was unsuccessful, before taking a sip of pumpkin juice from her silver flask. As always Hermione didn't think Luna would understand what they were talking about, it wasn't because she was a horrible person towards her; she simply undermined Luna because she believed in things that hadn't been recorded in books.  
"I'm quite interested in Draco." Luna said placidly, and watched in shock as Hermione spat out her orange pumpkin juice, making it look like she was breathing liquidised flame, and almost fell off her chair, much to the amusement of Ginny. Ginny tucked a strand of ginger hair behind her ear and said, trying not to laugh, "Well, that is rather contrasting to the majority of Wizarding society."  
"Luna look, you don't want to be liking people like Malfoy." Hermione murmured.

"When did I say I anything about liking him? I just said I was interested, because his friends are more like minions. He's really quite lonely, yet he spends his time bullying people. There seems to be a certain disinterest in life and sadness about him." Luna uttered.

Relief burst through Hermione's veins like tiny fireworks, "Oh, well, good. That's very good. Just don't waste your thoughts on him okay."


	3. Chapter 3: Quidditch and Distress

A/N: I might not be able to update as much because my laptop's broken but I'll try! Please review/follow if you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: All characters and plot lines belong to J.K Rowling J

**Chapter 3**

It was a fortnight into the school year and the day of the Ravenclaw quidditch tryouts. As Luna picked up a golden triangle of lightly buttered toast, an army of Ravenclaws, abuzz with excitement, were betting chocolate frogs on who would be in the new year's team. Luna herself preferred to be another speck in the sea of blue-clad Ravenclaws, cheering in the stands, but hoped that with her outrageous outfits she was a great help in spurring the team on.

At the end of the table nearest the door was Cho Chang, who looked to be shaking as if a cold draft had moulded itself around her shoulders. Cho had been so distraught the previous year over Cedric's untimely death that she hadn't even thought of trying out for quidditch, even though she was the best seeker in the house. It looked as though she would be trying to regain her position again today though, because her friends were throwing various spherical fruits towards her as she tried frustratedly to catch them.

As Luna passed her on the way to transfiguration she gave her a reassuring pat on the back. From their experience at Dumbledore's Army, Luna decided she liked Cho, even though the previous year her face had been constantly decorated with glistening rivulets of tears and her eyes appeared to have had red paint fiercely scrubbed away around the edges.

* * *

Draco watched the phalanx of Ravenclaws having a genial but loud debate about the events of the Quidditch tryouts that would unfold that evening. He had never really understood why people got so excited about the sport, but as a first and second year had wanted to be a part of it so often boasted about his quidditch skills (that were really quite meagre) and had used his family's opulence to buy his way onto the Slytherin team. Draco could barely eat. He had an itch in his conscience, and he was afraid to scratch it because of what thoughts would come leaking out. Thoughts that could spur him to do something ridiculously moral and get himself and his family killed.

He walked away from the sight of food that was making him feel queasy, to his first class, Defence Against the Dark Arts, with only an asparagus flavoured jelly bean in his stomach. Hurriedly he had also slurped down some orange juice to abolish the disgusting taste of sugar and asparagus that swarmed across his tastebuds.

As Draco crossed the courtyard to his classroom, he felt slightly cheered up knowing that Snape would be teaching the lesson. Snape was kind of an austere but supportive uncle to him, as stupid as it sounded, especially since Voldemort had been welcomed into Malfoy Mansion and Draco had been given his task. The erstwhile potions master had so far been a skilful teacher, probably because he' been coveting the job for years. The fact that the bright sun had taken a bite of the misty sky seemed to depict that the day would be pleasant.

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was engulfed in shadow as Draco strode through the open doorway. It seemed like Snape had decided to make the classroom feel more homelike to him by closing the blinds to give it the dingy appearance that the potions classroom had once possessed.

Draco was surprised to discover that he wasn't the first in the classroom. Blaise was sat in the seat next to his and was setting scrunched up balls of paper on fire. "Incendio." He muttered under his breath, and when the flames began to flourish too fiercely, he murmured, "Aguamenti." And a sizzling battle of water and flame commenced. Of course, the fire was always defeated, the only vestige of its existence being the charred parchment.

"Zabini, I know you're a wizard, there is no need for fatuous and simply unnecessary magic. Kindly stop." Snape growled, he seemed to be in a foul mood.

Draco slipped into the seat beside Blaise and raised his eyebrows at Snape's petulant behaviour, receiving an ambiguous smile in return. Blaise never really had much to say to him, apart from snide comments about the deluge of mudbloods that roamed the castle, which Draco had once laughed maliciously at these comments, but now felt sick at the thought of muggleborns being tortured within his own home. Those experiences had really changed his views; no-one deserved that treatment, apart from perhaps the Death Eaters who he was meant to support. Snape nodded at him in a way of greeting and then returned to scribbling something down on parchment, making a noise similar to that of a dormouse scratching at hardened dirt.

Soon enough, the classroom began filling up with sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors. Pansy waved enthusiastically at Draco who cast her a smile the shape of a crescent moon, which he didn't really feel. As Harry and Ron walked in, he instinctively scowled at Potter, who in turn was grimacing at Snape. Draco had once revelled in the rancour Snape felt for Potter, but now he realised it was deeper than just inordinate disdain, and it was not only bad for Potter but it was hurting Snape.

Once the class had settled down and the palpitating chatter had diminished into silence, Snape marched to the front of the class, his glowering expression never twitching. He pushed back his curtains of greasy hair to level his ears, as if he were drawing back the heavy curtains of a theatre stage to reveal a single morose actor. The play, of course, would be a tragedy, featuring Snape sweeping around the classroom in his black robes, the colour of a night without stars, which seemed to be woven from shadows, as if he were playing death himself. He spoke in his usual silky timbre, pausing for effect after certain words. "Welcome students, to another intriguing lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Today we will be moving on from non-verbal spells, which many of you have mastered but some lack the skills." His gaze lingered on Harry and Ron as he languidly spoke the last three words. "We shall be learning about the more advanced and perilous dark arts that you will need to defend yourselves from."

"Maybe Malfoy should teach the lesson, I'd bet my meals for a week he's got an infatuation with the dark arts. It's no surprise his daddy's in Azkaban!" Ron muttered to Harry.

"And I'll bet he's Voldemort's right hand man." Harry whispered back. Unfortunately most of the class heard, including Snape. It was if they'd collected the vicious words in their hands and hurled them across the classroom at Draco.

Draco began to feel ill and a hot slush of anger began to churn within him. Snape fixated Ron, who looked instantly rueful, with a tumultuous glare as if he were about to explode. Being completely controlled by his fury, Draco flung his books off the table and stormed out of the classroom to the harsh tune of Snape's infuriated tirade of castigating Ron and Harry. He slammed the door vociferously behind him, making a noise as loud as a screaming mandrake; people viscerally put their hands over their ears or flinched at the clamorous noise. He raced through the corridors hoping the loud beating of his heart, the pounding of his feet on the ochre wood and his panting breaths would drown out the thoughts that were callously attacking his mind.

"It's no surprise his daddy's in Azkaban!" "I'll bet he's Voldemort's right hand man." "Surely he loves the dark arts."" "You're whole family should be in Azkaban." "Malfoy must be a death eater." "You're like the teenage embodiment of Voldemort!"

Some of the thoughts were things he'd heard people whisper in the corridor as he passed, some were thoughts of his own invention. He couldn't help but feel that ever since he's taken on the task of murdering Dumbledore, everyone knew about it. That everyone thought he was some kind of monster. He felt like a monster.

Draco, fuelled by intense ire, began shooting spells everywhere. Sparks of red, orange and purple ricocheted from the walls and ceilings as Draco released his anger which raged around the corridor like a bull in a bullring. "Calm down m'boy!" A bearded wizard shouted as he fled from his painting where trees were now in flames. A frail old lady was quivering alongside Sir Cadogan after narrowly escaping being blown to pieces. Her home painting had a hole blasted in the middle and ripped strips of canvas spouted out the sides like a mangled fountain. The sight of desolation just made Draco feel worse.

He ran down to the comfort of the Slytherin common room and didn't come down until tea, when the blissful smells of roast potatoes floated down to the dungeon.

* * *

After a day of tiring lessons, Luna was weighed down with fatigue; however she was eager to support her friends at the quidditch tryouts. As she took her seat in the stands she felt an insistent tugging on her sleeve. "Yes?" She said, not looking at the culprit.

"It's me! Madeline! I didn't think you'd be the type of person who liked quidditch; or anything that involved other people, to be honest." Madeline said, unnaturally quickly.

"Well there's certainly one person I don't like to be around." Luna murmured. She didn't usually mind people saying mean things about her and even though she knew it was unintentional, Luna was rather annoyed that Madeline was suggesting she didn't even want friends; this was a feeling she wasn't used to, at all.

"What?" Madeline said, that ridiculous grin still festering on her round face lie a disease. Luna didn't want to hurt her feelings, she supposed first years didn't think before they spoke.

"I said, I quite like the company of some people, now shh." She urged, as Cho Chang mounted her broom and rose into the air. Luna clapped fervently and coalesced Madeline to do the same. As it turned out, Cho was just as skilful as ever; it seemed the winged sphere of gold was constantly in her palm, like a strangely pleasant growth.

Luna spotted Madame Hooch and Flitwick on the ground below, also applauding enthusiastically. She excused herself from Madeline's presence, who wasn't shaping up to be a curious eagle, but rather an infuriating limpet, and made her way down to the pair. She was hoping to commentate the quidditch matches occasionally now that the much loved Lee Jordan had left the school.

When the tryouts had finished Luna made her way into the Great Hall for tea, just as the stars were being flung into the darkening sky.

Luna was reminded of a night outside in the forest near her home, with her mother. The sky had looked much the same as it did tonight, with stars winking down at them from their elaborate constellations. It had been such a fondly remembered night because her mother had been tending to an injured unicorn, a very rare but beautiful creature. Her mother had always been very skilled with healing magical creatures and Luna hoped to one day do the same.

It had also been the last night before her mother had died. Luna reticently held in her tears. She had to be strong; she had never let anyone see her cry before. Although she didn't care about what people thought of her, she didn't want to seem vulnerable.

She sat down next to Padma and distracted herself with talk of classes and quidditch.

* * *

After the meal Luna looked down at the modicum of pumpkin juice that had sought refuge on her shiny cobalt top, and was slowly snaking its way down to the bronze beak that protruded from it. She had made the top herself in preparation for the Quidditch games that would be happening throughout the year, and had charmed it so that an aquiline caw emitted from the beak every time Ravenclaw scored a goal.

She knew it would be easy enough to remove the stain with a simple cleaning spell but still wondered why the group of seventh year Gryffindors had found it so funny.

As Luna was making her way to Ravenclaw tower she passed Moaning myrtle's illustrious bathroom, known for being host to not only the morose, bespectacled ghost, but also the entrance to the macabre Chamber of Secrets. From in the room she heard muffled sobs and the sound of Myrtle screeching "At least you're not dead! I have to stay floating around this castle forever listening to the sound of toilets flushing!"

Luna edged trepidly into the room and peeped around the corner in time to see a blonde haired shadow stride across the room, his feet scolding the tiles and hiss, "Shut up, you don't understand what I'm going through." Before slouching enervatedly onto the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest and clamping his hand over his mouth to envelope the sound of his weeps as rivulets of water crept down his face.

It was Draco, and he was finally feeling the consternation and stress of the impossible task of killing Dumbledore. Inwardly he berated himself even though he knew the pressure would eat away at anyone's mind and drive them slowly and painfully down the path of insanity. He was acting like bloody Potter, with his thought of what was right and wrong.

Suddenly he heard a faint splash of water and took a sharp intake of breath. Had another student seen him in one of his most desperate and vulnerable moments?

"Who's there?" He shouted into the suffocating silence, wiping away a lone tear which was rolling down his face like tumbleweed in an abandoned desert.

Luna winced and stepped nervously around the corner. Draco threw his arms into the air in frustration. "Are you stalking me or something?" He said, narrowing his eyes.

"Or course not! Just because you purposefully bumped into me on the train doesn't mean I enjoy your company."

"Just get out. Please. And do me a favour and don't mention what you just saw to anyone."

"Why would I?" Luna said honestly. "I don't expect you to tell me anything, but if you ever want to talk to someone who won't judge you, I'm here."

"Why would I want to talk to someone who only thinks about blargles and hibbering numdingers?"

"You really think that's all I think about? Yes, a part of me is fascinated in the magical creatures that roam the Earth but I also think of other things. You thin I'm not scared about the fate of the Wizarding World? You think I don't mentally prepare for the war that is burgeoning on the periphery of the Wizarding community? Well that's where you're wrong." Luna delighted in the look of shock plastered on Draco's face.

"Your Ravenclaw is showing." Was all he could say, referring to her use of 'long words'. His eyes twinkled like jewels caught in a spider's web. Luna laughed quietly and said. "And by the way, it's nargles and blibbering humdingers."

Draco's expression turned to not quite a smile, but a slight tear of a frown. He seemed to consider something for a moment.

"Look, I'm sure you know my family are part of Voldemort's circle, and I've been given a task that I really don't want to fulfil. I need help and I want to do something. But I can't." He looked down at the floor.

"I know you hate him, but just talk to Harry. He is the chosen one of course, and I'm sure if you convince him of what you want, he'll help you." Luna suggested. Draco thought for what felt like eternity. "I am not talking to bloody Scarhead. You don't know what hatred feels like. Bloody loon."  
"Are you sure it's hatred? I think it may be jealousy. Anyway, it was merely a suggestion." Luna said calmly. Draco was startled for a moment, before ire took over the feeling. "Jealous of Potter? Are you bloody joking? I am so much better than him in every-" Draco stopped abruptly, he realised what was happening. As much as it infuriated him, he needed Potter to bring Voldemort down and Lovegood had just opened up a gateway to him!

"You know what, okay." He said, grinning. The new revelation had made him so ecstatic that he uncharacteristically reached in to hug her, because she had given him an opportunity, and because she had decided to help him and be kind to him when no-one else had. He realised what he was doing at the last moment and pulled away, shuddering at the thought that he had been about to hug Loony Lovegood. And perhaps, he was shuddering to get rid of the thought that she was the only person who had tried to help him. He scurried back to Slytherin common room, the pallor of his cheeks transforming into light crimson.


	4. Chapter 4: A Potion and a Deal

_A/N__: I hope you enjoy this chapter and please follow/review if you do. I know it's annoying always asking to review but it's the only way that I know people like it and how to improve. :) Thank you to anyone who has so far and I love you to pieces!_

Chapter 4

"There you are Harry!" Luna smiled, approaching Harry, Ron and Hermione across the bustling courtyard at the entrance to Hogwarts. It was a warm Sunday autumn morning and fiery orange leaves were beginning to wrench themselves from the gnarled tree branches that had held them captive for so long, and twirl leisurely towards the ground like emancipated ballerinas. "Do you mind if I speak to you in private?"

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, who nodded before looking rather embarrassed they were to stand alone together whilst he was talking to Luna. Of course they had a deluge of things to talk about after being best friends for 5 years, but this year things seemed a little awkward between them; and Luna had a strong feeling she knew why.

Harry and Luna paced a little away from the pair and Luna immediately launched into the proposition that had sparked into her mind the evening before. "I assume you know the Malfoy family are rather close to You-Know-Who." She began, and Harry nodded slowly, a look of bewilderment brushing over his face. "Well, Draco has told me he was given a task by Voldemort, and he wants to help you stop him. He seems really distraught over the whole situation and…"

"You're saying Malfoy wants to help me, but he's working for Voldemort. That's likely isn't it Luna?" Harry spoke, more harshly than he had intended, his expression souring as if he'd just sucked on a lemon. "I can believe he's a death eater, but him wanting to stop Voldemort is ridiculous. I'm sorry Luna."  
"What about Snape? He was a death eater, but he turned things around." Luna carried on, oblivious to Harry's disbelief.  
"I've never really trusted Snape anyway. You can tell he's elated about being made Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, so he can have fun with all his dark spells."  
"Do you not trust me Harry? Just talk to Draco." She said. Harry's expression softened at that.

"Of course I trust you Luna. It's just I think Malfoy's been feeding you a pack of lies. Why were you talking to him anyway?" He sighed.

"Oh, he seemed rather upset and I wanted to help him." Luna said.

"Of course, Luna Lovegood, helping everyone including Draco bloody Malfoy!" Harry laughed and shook his head, he paused for a moment, his mind a tornado of ideas and thoughts. "Okay; how about me, Ron and Hermione will meet him at midnight on Halloween in the house elves' kitchen. Everyone will be exhausted after the Halloween feast."  
"Thankyou Harry!" Luna grinned, hugging him tightly. She skipped towards the Great Hall where lunch was almost ready.

* * *

Much the same as the past month, Draco could barely eat. Today's meal was steaming tomato soup; it just reminded him of blood, which was certainly not the best thought whilst eating. He thought about how psychotic he must be to think of blood at the sight of anything red as he took a wary sip of the hot liquid and burnt his tongue. "Shit!" He yelped, gathering some shocked looks from some first years and a disapproving glare from a Gryffindor prefect a couple of tables away.

"Draco I have some great news!" He heard Luna calling as she skipped towards him, but he barely registered it. It felt like someone had just started a bonfire on the tip of his tongue. He lunged towards his glass of water, spilling it all down the front of his robes it in his haste to drink it down. He heard some childish giggling nearby and turned to face the girl. It was a Ravenclaw first year. "What do you want, hobbit?" He muttered before inwardly castigating himself. "I love you, Madeline the hobbit." He murmured, reaching towards the girl.  
"Woah, Draco. You may not have my stunning good looks but you don't have to stoop to the level of Crabbe, flirting with first years." Blaise called over his shoulder, grabbing his arm.

"Get off me pumpkin! I love her!" Draco shouted.

"Did you just call me pumpkin?" Blaise said, amused but slightly worried. Draco meanwhile, looked as if he were about to fall over. Luna, forgetting her news, ran to his aid and grabbed his arm. "Blaise, he's been put under a powerful love potion, grab his other arm. We'd better take him to Professor Slughorn."

"Are you Madeline? I love her; love is a beautiful thing isn't it!" Draco beamed serenely.  
"Madeline?!" Luna exclaimed, swivelling round and glaring at a grinning Madeline. Perhaps it was more of a wary look; Luna wasn't the type of person to glare. "Excuse me for a second." She said, detaching herself from Draco.

"Madeline, what is wrong with you! Are you out of your mind?" She said sonorously. Tears immediately sprung to Madeline's eyes, and her lip began to quiver. Luna didn't want to be annoyed; she hated the feeling of anger coursing through her veins. She didn't even understand why it was affecting her so much; she supposed that after seeing Draco's vulnerability she didn't want things like this happening to him.  
"I was just trying to have a joke." Madeline murmured.

"Look, I don't usually get angry, but it is very inappropriate to play jokes like that on an older student. Now kindly pass me the potion you used on him." Madeline passed her a fuchsia, heart shaped bottle, not looking her in the eye. Luna held it in her slender fingers and smiled.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes eh?" She grinned, remembering the twin's hilarious escapades and their mirthful revenge on Dolores Umbridge in the form of iridescent fireworks that exploded into the sky and around the school like millions of bright fireflies. She didn't want Madeline to feel too bad, she knew what it was like to be alone and she didn't want the same to happen to the little first year. Rushing over to Draco and Blaise, she waved to Madeline, who smiled but kept her head down as she made her way back to her lunch.

As the trio traipsed through the corridors towards Slughorn's office Draco attempted to stroke some disturbed seventh years who looked ready to hex him, and constantly put his hand through Nearly-Headless Nick's head for about two minutes before Blaise and Luna could pull him away. He also hugged a glistening metallic suit of armour, which shined as if it has hundreds of tiny diamonds sleeping on its surface, that ambled away fleetingly; leaving Draco looking wistfully back it whispering "Daddy come back."

"Love potions fuck you up, don't they?" Said Blaise, shaking his head.

"I agree, it's worse than Wrackspurts." Luna said. Blaise rolled his eyes, thinking that he should have expected this behaviour from the erratic girl, who often had an expression as remote as a distant galaxy, with all the twinkling of the stars.

"What are you even doing here Loony?"

"Do you want me to leave you to handle this on your own?"

At one point Draco almost burst into tears in his whining for Madeline, almost.

"A love potion is it? I expect one of the Weasley's nonsensical products. My goodness, a month and a half into the school year and I've already had a myriad of drugged up students proclaiming their undying love for various girls." Professor Slughorn chuckled jovially, his colossal stomach bouncing up and down as if there were a melee of children inside it using it is a bouncy castle. Luna wouldn't put it past him to mistake a small child for a large cake.

Draco was placidly stroking Blaise's arm and muttering obliviously about how he loved the colour green, and how it reminded him of turtles.

"Zabini, would you mind getting the antidote to this love potion out of the cupboard for me? It's quite clearly labelled, I've had to stock up, can you believe it! Looking forward to the next Slug Club meeting are we?" Slughorn chortled, launching into a mass of questions that Blaise didn't have time to answer.

"You know what I like about you Luna?" Draco said softly, clutching her arm still in his dreamlike state. Luna shook her head and a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, at the sight of the usually mysterious and taciturn Draco Malfoy looking around him dreamily. She recognized the calm expression on his face from her own usual serene appearance, it were as if he were a puppet being controlled by the same puppeteer that she was. "I like that you never care what anyone thinks about you. I like that even through the terrifying situation that has taken hold of the Wizarding world, you make time for the things that interest you. I like that appear a little loony but you still have a strong personality and interesting thoughts. And the thing I like the best is that you care about people when no-one else does." He spouted the words from his mouth without realising, and then acted like he'd never said anything and began licking the back of his hand like a cat. "Where's Madeline?" He asked.

Slughorn lumbered towards them with the antidote in his hand, next to a bemused looking Blaise who wasn't very fond of being perpetually talked at. "Why thankyou! I am thirsty!" Said Draco, taking the glass from Slughorn's outstretched hand. He gulped down the mixture and his glassy-eyed expression immediately moulded into one of shock.

"What am I doing in here?"  
"You were given a powerful love potion by an overexcited first year. You tried to grab hold of her but me and Lovegood dragged you away from pouncing on her!" Blaise tried not to laugh, but failed. Draco scowled but muttered, "Well thanks, I guess."  
"Are you coming back to the Slytherin common room? I need a rest after Slughorn questioning me about my mother!" Blaise asked as the three left Slughorn's office.

"In a second, I just need to ask about my potions homework." Draco said.  
"Ok, I'll see you later." Blaise sauntered off and as soon as he turned the corner, Draco turned to Luna.

"Have you talked to Harry yet?" He said nervously.  
"Yes, he said he'll talk to you at Midnight on Halloween in the house elves' kitchen." Luna said calmly.  
"I don't know where the house elves' kitchen is!" Draco exclaimed, looking more anxious by the second.  
"Don't worry, I can show you." She said. An adorable house elf named Winky had taken her down to the kitchens once when she was thirsty in the middle of night, so she knew what to do.

"I didn't realise you'd be coming."

"Do you not want me to?"  
"You can if you want. I don't really care." Draco lied, although admittedly he would feel a lot more comfortable if she was beside him.  
"I think I'll come anyway." Luna said and began to walk away.

As she strode away, Draco noticed she was only wearing one shoe, and couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

It was the night of Halloween and the feast had just ended. Slytherins were lounged on the leather couches that were strewn around the common room, and some of the students who had gotten hold of Firewhisky were rolling around on the frayed green rug that had supposedly adorned the stone floors for centuries. Draco anxiously anticipated his meeting with Potter, Weasley and Granger; he knew how hard it would be for them to believe him, let alone help him. He knew he shouldn't be worried because everything he was to say was going to be the truth, but his heart was beating so violently that it felt like someone was repeatedly banging it with a hammer. It was bad enough that Pansy kept attempting to pounce on him when he really was not in the mood. He sensed she wasn't satisfied with him just kissing her because she'd been pestering him for forty five minutes.

At half past eleven he crept out the Slytherin dungeon to meet Luna outside the door of the Great Hall; she was stood there looking a little drowsy, tracing the carved curlicues in the capacious oak doors with her forefinger. When she saw him she smiled and greeted him, her cloud of flaxen blonde hair flowing behind her as she bounded towards him. She grabbed his wrist gently and they strolled through the dimly lit corridors, blazing pumpkins leering down at them. Luna stopped at a painting of some fruit, down the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff basement, and Draco raised an eyebrow uncertainly. "Do you want to tickle the pear or shall I?" Luna queried, a smile playing on her lips.

"You can." Draco answered, curious as to what would happen. Luna stood on her tiptoes and tickled the pear, and it transformed into a viridian coloured doorknob. The duo stepped through the door, Draco more trepidly than Luna, and were greeted by a mass of hyperactive house elves. "So many visitors tonight!" One of them squeaked, shoving a meringue pie into Draco's face. Another thrust an éclair into Luna's hand, squirting thick cream into his own face. "Hey!" A familiar voice called, and all the house elves immediately froze. "Sorry about that." Harry said, offering them a smile.

"Do you want a drink, Draco?" Ron asked a little suspiciously, pulling up a couple of chairs for Luna and Draco.

"Ask Luna if she'd like one as well!" Hermione muttered.  
"Don't worry, I wouldn't like one." Luna said.

"Erm, okay." Draco nodded. Ron quickly thrust a glass of water towards him, as well as about ten house elves.  
"Shoo!" Ron growled, flinging half of them across the room.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron muttered an apology and Harry began to talk.

"So you want to help us?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, scepticism palpable on his face.  
"Luna's told us, but she's pretty gullible. We want to hear from you, and decide for ourselves." Ron said, and Draco was sure he heard him mutter something about him that involved some words that he most certainly wouldn't want to say in front of Professor McGonagall.  
"Ron you are so rude!" Hermione said, taking Ron's arm and dragging him from the room.

"Why is that you want to help us then?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort has given me a seemingly impossible task that I really don't want to fulfil, but he'll kill me and my family if I don't. So I thought, rather than rejecting his proposition, I would attempt to work against him instead. As a spy almost; for you. And I also figured; if you are the chosen one who is to defeat the dark lord, you'd be the best person to come to." Between each sentence, Draco paused for a long time.

"Fine." Harry said simply.

"That's it? You're just going to believe me?" Draco said, taken aback.

"One question. Why did you hate me so much?"

"I was jealous. I was told I was going to be popular and everyone would want to be my friend, but Harry Potter, the boy who lived, rejected my friendship and from that moment everyone but my fellow Slytherins liked me. I'd grown up being told my blood purity would get me anything, but it lost me the thing I really wanted. True friendship." Draco said, and once he'd finished he clamped his hand over his mouth, his cheeks turning crimson. "I didn't mean…"  
"Yes you did. Hermione put veritaserum in your pumpkin juice. We thought it would be easier that working out if you were lying or not." Harry said. Draco reached for his wand, tiny sparks of rage exploding in his mind, but instantly thought better of it. He needed Potter's trust.

"People seem to have found slipping potions into my water very enjoyable this term." Draco joked. To his surprise, Harry chuckled; Luna must have told him what had happened with Madeline.

"I have an idea!" Luna exclaimed. "You could set up Dumbledore's army again and Draco could teach people about the Dark Arts we'll be facing and how to defend ourselves from it! Snape will only be teaching us what is required for our exams but Draco could seriously prepare us for what's out there."  
"I'm not a teacher." Draco muttered.

"Perhaps you could teach me or Luna then, and we could pass on the information to the rest of the DA?" Harry suggested.  
"I guess that could work, I'll try it I suppose." Draco said, attempting to sound indifferent even though he was smiling inwardly. Although it hadn't been his intention, Draco couldn't help but be pleased that he could be on the path to a real friendship, he just wasn't sure who with.


	5. Chapter 5: Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 5

It was the end of November and an early bout of snow had sought respite on the grounds of Hogwarts, delicate snowflakes falling to the ground like the frozen tears of angels; there was something very magical about snow. As Luna skipped across the blanket of white, snowflakes became momentary crystalline embellishments on her robes before melting into tiny shimmering pools. Luna giggled childishly as the freezing sensation of snow melting on her reddening cheeks took effect. "Luna!" She heard a deep voice call, and she turned around to see a lithe figure running towards her, his white-blonde hair blending in with the falling snow. An influx of snowflakes had settled on the light eyelashes that framed his stormy grey eyes. Eyes that worked as a shield against any emotion Draco felt, eyes that worked as barriers against any tears that threatened to spill; barriers that worked most of the time.

Draco flashed her a smile, something Luna had noticed has become a rare occurrence, especially when he was seated at the Slytherin table.

"Are you coming to my 'meeting' with Potter now? He said now that he's refreshed people's memories, in the little club he's got organised, I'm allowed to start showing him some of the dark arts spells my Aunt Bellatrix showed me over the summer." Draco said, flinching slightly as he remember the wild look that resided in Bellatrix's eyes, the manic laugh of unbridled glee as she towered over her quivering victims. Luna, seemingly ignoring his question, said pensively; "You really should call him Harry." Upon seeing Draco's wistful look she nodded in answer to his question and they made their way to the Room of Hidden Things where Draco had arranged they practice, because there was an abundance of disused objects they could practice spells on. Luna couldn't help but notice that whenever they passed a member of Slytherin house Draco moved away from her and looked around casually as if he were simply roaming the corridors to admire the paintings on the walls and the ancient architecture that made Hogwarts such a memorable building.

The two walked in silence for a while, when Draco stopped suddenly like a victim of Medusa's glare. He took a deep breath as if he were about to dive into the great lake for a long swim alongside the Giant Squid, "You do realise we're not friends or anything right? Just because I agreed to talk to Potter doesn't mean…" He began, thinking of how Luna often blithely greeted him in the hallways and in front of the other Slytherins. He had to maintain a Potter and friends hating look, which didn't include talking to a fifth year Ravenclaw who had fought alongside Harry at the Ministry last year.

"You seem to think it was so important for my life that you talked to Harry and told me parts of what's bothering you. I'm trying to help you; I'm not gaining anything from this, Draco." Luna interrupted, smiling but not quite reaching his eyes. She had hoped Draco felt some kind of friendship between them, more for his sake than hers, even though she hadn't really expected the arrogant pureblood to want something like that.

"I just wanted you to know because you seem to have made a habit of talking to me in front of my…friends." Draco could hear the strain in his own voice. He didn't want to say this but it was for her safety as much as for his image. If she was too friendly with him, he had a feeling it may spur Pansy into some cruel action against her. The honest truth was that he wanted to be her friend. The cheerful Ravenclaw had been the only person this year to care about him; he had seen the disappointment in his mother's eyes when he accepted the task Voldemort had set him, and Pansy had dismissed his peculiar attitude as stress. It was stress of course, but not in the way she thought.

"I'd say they're more like minions than friends, but I understand." Luna murmured.

At this point they were travelling again and Draco felt as if he were being torn apart from the inside when he saw the dejected look on Luna's face. Luna herself didn't understand why she felt so upset; she had never been affected by the things people said before. She had never experienced this feeling before.

As they came to the wall at the end of the corridor, a door began to reveal itself; an arc carving itself in the wood like the trail of a shooting star that burst towards the promising sky before falling back to the vapid ground, the only vestige of its existence a perfect asymmetrical arc, a dour frown. Draco reached to turn the spherical handle, twisting it carefully in his palm as if it were an orb of immense power. The door swung open and he gestured for Luna to enter the room first; she bounded in but had largely lost the spring in her step, and her glacial blue eyes still wouldn't reach his. He knew what he had done to upset her, but he was used to her taking whatever anyone said in her stride, without a care in the world. He had thought she would understand. One thing was for sure, Luna Lovegood was changing.

When they walked in they were greeted by a pair of startling green eyes; tiny islands covered in a vicinity of emerald in a sea of white. "Hi Luna! And Malfoy." Harry greeted them. Draco waved, and Luna brightly said her hellos.  
"Should we just get started then?" Harry said, looking a little unsure of what the session would hold.

"Okay, so I thought we would start with the Unforgivable Curses." Draco began.

"Maybe we should start with something simpler, I don't really want to be using unforgivable curses on my friends." Harry interrupted, looking mildly horrified.

"And the use of an unforgivable curse gets you put straight in Azkaban." Hermione piped up. Draco spun round, what were Ron and Hermione doing here? Hadn't Harry said it would just be him and Luna? Draco was bemused but didn't say anything.

"Well we did about them in fourth year so we'll already have some knowledge on them, and also they're favourites of the death eaters so we'll need to know how to resist them or fight against them." Draco said.

"I think we should start with less dangerous spells." Harry suggested.

"No, Potter. If you're going to have any chance against the death eaters you need to know about these spells. And all dark arts spells are dangerous anyway."  
"Fine." Harry sighed, pushing his glasses up. Draco positioned himself in front of Harry and pointed his wand at him.

"I want you to try and resist this. Imperio!" Draco shouted. Harry immediately went glassy eyed. Hermione gasped behind him and Ron looked fuming. Draco made him walk around the room, and he could sense Harry resisting. However it didn't work. Draco stopped using the imperius curse and started again a lot more times and finally Harry managed to resist. Draco was impressed, not many people could resist the imperius curse. Harry grinned and Ron and Hermione began to congratulate him.

"Now you just have to teach your other students it." Draco said, before yelling; "Crucio!"

Harry fell backward and began writhing around the floor. "It always comes as a surprise, you won't be prepared." Draco muttered. Momentarily a glint of delight danced feverishly in his eyes as he saw Harry's contorting figure on the ground; old resentment didn't evaporate that quickly. He quickly performed the counter curse and help Harry up, remembering that celebrating a successful dark arts spell against his antecedent enemy wouldn't be the best plan, but Ron had already seen.

"I saw that look on your face!" he shouted, rapidly turning the colour of burnt beetroot. Fury forced his voice to become louder and louder. "You never stopped hating Harry. I don't trust you. I'll never trust you."  
Hermione interrupted, a flushed look on her pale face. "Ronald, he was under the influence of Veritaserum, he couldn't lie! He isn't using sophistry."

"You're intelligent Hermione, surely you know that You-Know-Who is one on the greatest masters of occulemency ever to have lived. If he gets inside Malfoy's mind he'll find out all of Harry's secrets and plans!"

"Who said I'm telling Malfoy all my secrets and plans?" Harry said defensively.

"If he's helping out with the D.A he's going to know a lot. We need something in return."

"He's helping out with the D.A and passing on information to us." Luna interrupted, feeling some responsibility for Draco being the one to bring him to Harry in the first place. Meanwhile Draco was beginning to feel more and more awkward standing in the middle of the storm of people shouting vehemently about him.  
"It was meant to be just you and Luna I was teaching to, if I remember correctly." He muttered. Harry looked like he was about to say something in response but Ron shouted, "Shut up Malfoy. Helping out with the D.A isn't enough. If Voldemort looks inside his mind and sees him helping out with a few Dark Arts spells it can be easily explained, but if it's something directly against him we know Draco's really on our side. We need to know he's risking something as well. Come on Harry, you're the one who's convinced Malfoy's a death eater." Harry gave Ron a piercing look which suggested he didn't want this information out in the open.

Draco began to get the same churning feeling in his stomach, as if someone was viciously stirring a thick mixture inside it, as he had had during the eventful Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson a couple of months before.

"He's right Harry." Hermione said reluctantly. "I know how much you want to trust people but we need to know we're putting out trust in the right people." Ron looked at Hermione graciously, his gaze lingering a little too long.  
"They are right Draco. What can you do so we can trust you?" Harry said quietly. Draco had an idea but the words 'death eater' had, ironically, put some kind of spell on him. He was in a daze and felt like was going to retch or faint.

Luna seemed to sense something was wrong; she put a supportive hand on his shaking arm. As she looked up at him he felt for a moment, okay, although that didn't last very long. He brought his fingers down to his stomach, his fingernails digging into his skin in an attempt to ease the sickening pain within. However he felt more like the carcass of a lion's prey, with the predator digging its claws into his sensitive skin.

He ran from the room, hearing the shouts of Harry, Ron and Hermione calling after him, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. There were only two words he could hear in his head, licking at the edges of his mind, banging against the walls of his skull. Death eater. He found himself running towards Myrtle's bathroom, hoping no-one would find him there. "Back again so soon? I like having you here; it makes me feel less depressed about my own life." Myrtle said. Draco turned around and vomited into one of the porcelain sinks, which had cracks snaking all over it like diseased veins. One of the rusty gold taps which had been charmed to look like a moving mermaid flinched backward, but of course was fixated to the sink so could only shake her metal head, which had once gleamed, in disgust.

Soft footsteps padded into the room like a cat, but Draco didn't hear. He had pulled up his sleeve to reveal an inky black tattoo on his forearm which was writhing around and hissing menacingly. Draco aimed a number of spells at it until his arm was raw and throbbing, a beacon of vermillion. "In here again? The wrackspurts are really getting to you aren't they? I'll ask my dad to put an article about how to get rid of them in next month's issue of The Quibbler." Luna said placidly. Draco hurriedly pulled down his sleeve to cover the dark mark and said, "I think my problem's a little worse than wrackspurts."  
"Nargles perhaps?" Luna queried.

"Luna I appreciate you coming to find me, but leave me alone please."  
"Are you going to start crying again."  
Draco laughed. "I think I'm past the crying stage."  
"That's good. Would you like me to leave?"  
"Please."  
Luna nodded and ambled from the room.

* * *

A figure outside the bathroom frowned threateningly, her brown eyes narrowing as if her eyelids were being pulled together by magnets. As Luna skipped through the doorway, the girl stepped out of her cloak of shadows and grabbed her shoulder with a strong grasp similar to that of a hawk clutching a frail dormouse. "Keep your blood traitor hands off my boyfriend, Loony." Pansy hissed, before throwing her to the ground. Luna watched Pansy with an inquisitive gaze as the older girl strutted into the bathroom, a triumphant expression paralysed to her pug-like face.

Draco looked up to see a confident figure stride purposefully into the room. He rolled his eyes when he saw it was Pansy. "Oh Draco!" She exclaimed dramatically, wrapping her arms around him protectively. When she'd strutted in her face had been marked with not only triumphance but also a drop of ire. However, when she spoke it was with no asperity. "Are you okay baby?" She squeaked, kissing him wetly on the cheek. Baby? Draco thought disgustedly, wiping the saliva from his pallid cheek. Why had he agreed to this relationship with Pansy again? Keeping up appearances, that's it.

"Just a bit stressed about the task the dark lord has set me. All I want to do is please him of course." Draco muttered, his own words sickening him. He felt like he was going throw up again. Pansy was saying something but he couldn't be bothered to listen.

"By the way. Why are you in the girls' bathroom?" Pansy asked, her thin eyebrows raised. Draco held up a finger to signal 'one minute' and ran into one of the toilet cubicle to be sick.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table, hungry and sweating after a testing D.A meeting where they had taught the other members how to defend themselves from the imperius curse. Hedwig flew across the table; her snowy white wings open in graceful flight, and dropped a letter down in front of Harry. It read:

_Always remember to take your wand out with you, a crabbe bit me once. And avoid the gar goyle. You're wizards so train because magic is hard. If you'd like come along on the fourth to prepare for December. There will be more instructions to follow, details can be found later. _

_Draco_

They read the letter four times but it still made no sense. "And it's full of basic spelling errors! Crabbe only has one 'b' and no 'e', and gargoyle is not two words!" Hermione exclaimed. They all turned around to look at Draco who was laughing at something Blaise Zabini had just said, and wasn't providing any help to them at all. Suddenly Errol, the Weasley's decrepit old owl burst through the air towards Ron, before dropping into his glass of water. "Bloody wonderful." Ron muttered, plucking a letter similar to Harry's from Errol's crusty beak. All it said was:

_Every fourth word. _

"There are only three words in the bloody letter!" Ron blurted.

"I guess it means the other letter, Ron." Harry said, unfolding the mysterious parchment.

Once they had deciphered the strange message it said:

Take out Crabbe and Goyle, train hard. Come fourth December. More details later.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry moaned.  
"It's Draco's way of proving himself to us! On the fourth of December we get rid of Crabbe and Goyle."  
"I don't think this is a very good way of proving himself to us. I mean come on, Crabbe and Goyle are the stupidest students in the entire school! We don't exactly have to train hard; we just need some potion infused cakes like in second year." Ron muttered.

"Unless he means their dads. If they're death eaters who are pretty close to Voldemort that must mean they're pretty decent wizards. Draco's going to take out two death eaters alongside us, which he'll never be able to explain to Voldemort!" Harry said.

"I guess that'll work." Hermione said, but she looked impressed.  
" But the fourth of December is in a week and Draco isn't training with us for another five days!" Ron said.

"That's why he wants us to train, so even though we're not entirely sure of the plan, we'll be ready to fight." Harry murmured.


	6. Chapter 6: Malfoy Manor

**Chapter 6**

Harry, Ron and Hermione stood waiting impatiently in the room of hidden things for Draco. It was the second of December and he was already 10 minutes late. Ron began restlessly humming a festive Celestina Warbeck tune, and Harry, after spending many a Christmas in the Weasley household, inadvertently joined in.

"Draco cannot be any later! We only have an hour as it is. Not to mention its two days until we take out Crabbe and Goyle senior, and we have no idea of the plan. What does take out even mean? Because I do NOT want to be a part of some murder conspiracy." Hermione squeaked, talking faster and faster as she went.  
"Hermione, I highly doubt Malfoy is going to get us to assist him in the murder of his parents' friends." Harry sighed, as the door swung open, leaving an empty gap like a missing tooth. The trio shrunk back behind a large chess piece. "I swear this is the Queen from that giant chess game we played in first year to get to the Philosopher's stone." Ron whispered, looking fondly at the piece of stone, a glimmer of maudlin remembrance twinkling in his eyes.

"When you were our knight." Hermione murmured. Harry stifled a laugh and Ron, having not heard the statement, said "What?" Forcing a wave of heat to spread over Hermione's face.  
"You realise how cringy that was right?" Harry whispered in her ear.

Suddenly they heard the door slam.

"And I thought _I_ was late!" Draco said into the emptiness.

"Oh, hello Malfoy." Harry stepped out from behind the chess piece, followed by Ron and Hermione.

"Oh, there you are. Sorry if I kept you waiting; I got a little held up by the other Slytherins." He said, not sounding all that sorry. In fact he seemed rather bored by the whole ordeal. "They couldn't stop raving about my brilliant alliance with the Dark Lord and asking what my task is and wanting to see my da-" Draco stopped abruptly, berating his idiocy.

"Your what?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing." Draco muttered. "Okay, so the plan is to go to Malfoy Manor, because the death eaters seem to enjoy living in my house rather than their own. We'll be taking a portkey there to meet Crabbe and Goyle."  
"You can't use an unregistered portkey!" Hermione cried.

"Hermione, since when have we really gone by the rules?" Harry said. Hermione just laughed, to Draco's surprise, who knew her as the greatest rule-abiding student in the school.  
"We're meeting them quite far away from my house, but within walking distance, so that we won't be seen by the other death eaters. I owled them pretending to be my dad, to tell them I was organising a surprise party for Voldemort, or something along those lines. They replied expressing their agreement yesterday."  
"They believed that?!" Ron said sceptically. Draco nodded, a laugh emitting from his mouth. Ron grunted in amusement.

"How did they know to send their reply back to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"I guess they just sent it back with the same owl. After that we basically knock them out with a few spells and get them sent off to Azkaban! Other than that, I believe you've done enough little 'missions' of your own to sort out tactics, I'll see you at nine on Thursday evening then."  
"That's it?!" Harry said, horrified.

"I know what I'm doing, Potter. Oh, and bring your best three people from the D.A." Draco said.

"Draco, I don't think we're well enough prepared. At the Ministry break-in I ended up knocked out, Ron was completely befuddled and-" Hermione said breathlessly.

"Sirius died." Harry finished, hot tears stinging the backs of his eyes. Whilst Hermione was talking Draco had begun to laugh at her state of unbridled panic but immediately stopped at Harry's statement. Fading mirth twinkled in his eyes.

"I don't see why we need seven people to knock out two idiots who believed Lucius Malfoy, who is in Azkaban, is throwing Voldemort a surprise party." Ron muttered.

"You'll see." Draco said, his mind whirring with morose thoughts of his father slowly rotting in Azkaban, each breath a countdown towards his demise within the ghastly walls.

* * *

It was the night of the fourth of December and Draco watched restlessly as the other sixth year Slytherins discussed how much they abhorred various students and teachers. Half eight quickly arrived and Draco knew he had to make his way to the room of hidden things. "I'm going to the…library." He said feebly, flashing them a reluctant smile.

"What for? We don't even have any exams coming up." Pansy said, stroking his arm as if he were her pet.

"Okay, that was just an excuse." Draco lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm actually going to prepare myself for _the task_." As their eyes widened into pools of fascination, Draco put a finger to his lips to suggest secrecy was vital. All of them nodded vigorously, signalling zipping their lips, apart from Blaise who raised an eyebrow in disgust at Draco's grovelling admirers. Draco couldn't help but bask in the glory he received from his Slytherin minions.

"I'm going to leave now." He said, pointing to the door. He strode out to the sound of the Slytherins vehemently beating their palms together.

Draco slunk down the dimly lit corridors, narrowly avoiding being speared in the head by Peeves, who somehow had gotten hold of a harpoon. In the room of hidden things he was greeted by Luna, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville.  
"Ah, the illustrious ministry team! I had hoped I'd be dealing with less Gryffindors but I'll live." Draco said, smiling broadly; he received none in return. "I assume you have told your chosen three the plan?"  
"Yes, but we still don't really know what we're doing." Harry said.

"I'd hoped to go for it in the spur of the moment, but as we have a few minutes I'll explain the plan. I have with me some polyjuice potion to turn into my dad, which I'll be taking once we arrive by portkey – which is this exquisite Slytherin ring I prepared earlier. I'll meet Crabbe and Goyle senior and distract them then you; Harry, Ron and Hermione will use your apparently advanced magic on them from behind. I'll join in as extra support and once you've knocked them out, contact some aurors to get them to Azkaban. Then I'll go with Luna, Ginny and Neville to save some muggleborns from the dungeon. What the death eaters do to them really is barbaric. I have a key to get in." Draco plucked a silver key from his pocket with a flourish.  
"You have a dungeon?" Ron gaped.

"Interesting. Perhaps you should have asked for some help with the planning though." Harry said bluntly.

"Do you doubt me, Potter?" Draco said in mock innocence and curiosity,

"Yes, I do actually, Malfoy."  
"Let's just get on with it, shall we?" Ginny suggested.

The seven teenagers surrounded the portkey and Neville said, "Is it not a little a small?" He shrank back as if he expected Draco to attack him.

"Engorgio!" Hermione and Draco said simultaneously. The ring expanded to four times its original size with a 'pop' which sounded like a balloon exploding. Everyone clutched the oversized ring, and Draco felt Luna slip her free hand into his. He looked down at her reassuringly, expecting her to look afraid, but she had the same calm expression as always. "Have you used a portkey before?" He whispered. An image of an empty butterbeer bottle flashed before Luna's eyes. She saw her mother's hand clutching the bottle and then her other hand holding tightly onto Luna's. She remembered her mum's nails with a layer of dirt in them from her adventures to find whimsical creatures. They whizzed through the air, a flying carousel, and landed in a grassy field. Luna had pulled the cork out from the bottle and expressed her admiration for the item. Now she touched the cork attached to the blue ribbon which she had made into a necklace with fondness. She nodded sorrowfully.

"So when's this thing actually setting o-" Ron began. The portkey started to spin, like a velocious roundabout that induced horrible sickness in the passengers. They rose into the air and a curtain of blackness slid across their eyes; they landed on stony ground, and could see Malfoy Manor in the near distance. None of them had quite mastered landing after portkey travel so they lay groaning on the hard floor for a few moments. Night had befallen and the stars winked down at Draco from their elaborate constellations as if suggesting his plan was going to work, and the half-moon cast its creamy white light over the scene like a half open door to the heavens. Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch and a long blonde hair.

"Why do you even have one of your dad's hairs?" Ginny mused.

"He likes manual labour, so when the house elves are preparing our clothes he enjoys leaning over them to check on their work. I discovered one of his hairs on my robes."

Hermione gasped in disgust.

Draco dropped the hair into the pouch and after a few seconds took a swig. His skin began to bubble ferociously and he stretched out lengthwise. His hair flowed into a glossy blonde waterfall. "What do you think?" Draco said, flicking his hair around enthusiastically, leading to accidentally hitting Neville in the face with it with the force of a whip.

"Apologies Longbottom. Crap, there are Crabbe and Goyle! Hide!" Draco urged.

Neville, Ginny, Luna, Hermione, Ron and Harry hurried into some nearby shrubs, although Draco thought he saw Harry disappear before he shimmied between the leaves and gnarled branches.

* * *

Draco turned to see two bloated figures galumphing towards him like talking exercise balls. Without the exercise.

"Lucius! We thought you were in Azkaban!" Crabbe said.

"I, er, got out! Did the Dark Lord not tell you?" Draco smiled.

"No. You seem to be in a good mood." Goyle grinned.

"Well, party planning really cheers me up." Draco said, on the outside he was beaming but inside he was panicking. He realised he hadn't sorted out a signal for when Harry, Ron and Hermione should emerge from the greenery. Suddenly Harry appeared out of nowhere and shouted, "Stupefy!" Crabbe flew backwards as Goyle screeched, "Incarcerous!" Thick ropes wound themselves rapidly around Hermione like a python. Draco heard Ron snarl and start attacking Goyle. "Liberacorpus!" And Goyle was hung in the air. Crabbe bounced up with surprising speed and hit Harry with the Leg-Locking curse. Harry shouted stupefy again, but it was too weakly to work. Draco then had a go at aiming the stunning spell at Crabbe who was rendered unconscious by it. "Lucius?" He murmured before closing his eyes.

"Liberacorpus!" Ron shouted, and Goyle fell to the ground. He looked dazed for a moment before Harry shouted, "Petrificus Totalus." And Goyle moved no more.  
Ron said the counter curse and Harry was able to move his legs again. Hermione was still struggling within the ropes, and Harry then used the counter curse to free her. "Thanks." She gasped.  
"That was actually harder than I thought!" Draco said, as he felt himself turning back into his teenage self. "Get in touch with some aurors to come and take them to Azkaban. I'll go into the manor."  
"Your polyjuice potion wore off quickly." Hermione observed as Harry sent out a patronus message to Moody.

"I made it weak so that I wouldn't be seen as my imprisoned dad by anyone except those idiots." Draco said. Harry came over to join them.

"I'm coming with you." He said simply.

"You don't always have to be the hero, Harry. Stay here until we get back."  
"I'm not letting you take my friends into your house, which is a beacon for death eaters, for merlin's sake."

"This is your first step of trusting me then."  
"At least take this." Harry handed Draco the blanket like item that he had pulled off him on the train.

"An invisibility cloak?" Draco said, impressed. "I didn't realise these existed!"  
"Well they do, now go." Harry sighed.

Draco stalked down the path towards his house with Ginny, Neville and Luna in tow.

Draco turned the silver key in the lock and with a satisfying click the substantial door swung open. They stepped into the empty entranceway which was littered tastefully with white marble statues, and had paintings of past Malfoy family members dozing halyconly on the magnolia walls. Draco draped the invisibility cloak over Luna and Ginny, wanting to make sure they were safe more than him or Neville. As he began to extricate his hand from the cloak he felt Ginny jump underneath.

"You could have at least told me you were going to do that!" She hissed. Draco shrugged and signalled for Ginny, Luna and Neville to follow him. They crept soundlessly towards the dungeons and the paintings seemed to be watching their every move. Each creak in the old house was a trigger of fear, Draco expected one of the death eaters to trek down the stairs and kill them at any moment. In an attempt to abstain these morbid thoughts he focused fully on the plan. He peeked around the wall to check that there wasn't anyone there and once they were at the dungeon entrance they were greeted by a shadowy figure…

* * *

"Mum?" Draco asked, his heart palpitating at the speed of a hummingbird's wings beating. Narcissa stepped out of the darkness and engulfed him in a hug. "What are you doing down here? You need to get out of here with your friends." She breathed, anxiety palpable in her hushed voice. She looked sympathetically at Neville, remembering quite clearly her sister torturing his parents to insanity, and willing the same fate not to befall him.  
"We came here to save the muggleborns from the dungeon. I know what happens to them and I wanted to help." Draco found he couldn't lie to his mother. "What about you, I'm pretty sure this isn't an ideal death eater hangout?"  
"Actually it is. I'm meant to be on torture duty, so they don't get any respite." She shuddered. "But I can't do it. Now get these muggleborns out. And Draco, I'm proud of you."  
"Won't you get blamed?" Draco whispered, turning the key in the lock.

"I'll blame it on Pettigrew or something." Narcissa urged. "Now go." Draco turned to Neville, Luna and Ginny. "Go and take these five out to Harry. I need to get something from my room." Draco said.

"Now's hardly the time to grab some items you forgot at the start of the year." Ginny muttered before running towards the door with Luna, Neville and the five captive muggleborns.

Luna hated the idea of innocent people being punished because of their family line. Although she was a pureblood, she knew what it was like to be hated and called names, because of The Quibbler, not that she really minded. If people wanted to endure an infestation of wrackspurts and not know what to do about it, it was their choice. Things had improved of late because of the article about Harry that her father had published the previous year, but Luna knew most people still thought her dad, and also her, a lunatic. She didn't really mid what people thought of her, as long as she was happy. Although, before she met Harry, loneliness was not something that made her happy, it was nice having friends. Her thoughts were interrupted by a low growl. They had sent the muggleborns off with the aurors, who had questioned them about their activities about Malfoy Manor, but Harry had made up a ridiculous backstory that they somehow believed. Now they were waiting for Draco and a way to get home. The growl resounded again, and the homicidal werewolf, Fenrir Greyback emerged from the shadow. Hermione screamed and Luna bit back one of her own, hot blood sprouted from her bottom lip. Harry was the first to spring into action, but Greyback dodged all of his spells. Soon all six of them started shooting spells at him, but Greyback blocked them all. He was successful in disarming Harry and Ron also.

"It's a shame to see so many purebloods go to waste; however, trespassing Potter worshippers aren't worth living on this Earth anyway. How do I kill first? Blood traitor Weasleys? The Dark Lord wants Potter for himself so you can watch your friends die then come with me. Mudblood Granger perhaps? Neville Longbottom? How are mummy and daddy doing? And Lovegood, your dad doesn't need to be tortured, he's already insane." Greyback snarled, a laugh rising in his throat. "I'll go for you first Lovegood, sometimes it's necessary for the mentally damaged to be put down.

He knocked her over and Luna felt the breath evacuate her lungs, it felt like ice water was running through her veins. He traced a claw over her throat, creating a shallow cut, a grotesque necklace; beads of blood fell from it as if rubies embellishing the chain. Luna could feel silent tears spilling down her cheeks. Each beat of her heart was like a gunshot, each directly after the other like the pattern of bullets on the front line. She could hear her friends attempting to fight off Greyback but even the five of them couldn't hold him off. He bared his sharp teeth, a bestial smile dancing on the corners of his mouth, and reached towards her neck, ready to clamp his teeth into it, when Luna heard a familiar voice shout,

"Crucio!" Greyback flew off her and began writhing around on the ground, a cruel imitation of a contortionist doing their big finale. "Run!" Draco called, never taking his eyes off Fenrir. He threw Luna a hoop and said, "Climb through it!" Luna did what he asked without a second thought and found herself tumbling onto the floor of the Room of Hidden Things. She watched, panting, as Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Ron and finally Harry appeared on the ground before her.

"Tergio." Hermione said, raising her wand. Luna felt her skin stitching itself back together as simply as a piece of fabric. "You're going to have a scar there for a couple of weeks. You'll have to think of a cover story."

A figure stumbled into the room through the portal and wrenched the hoop out of the air, before throwing it carelessly towards the ground as if a child with a broken toy. "Well done on getting Greyback, Malfoy!" Harry called.

"He used an unforgivable curse!" Hermione said in a scolding tone, but Draco wasn't listening. He ran up to Luna and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, if I'd known what would happen I would never have left you-"

"I'm okay." Luna said placidly.

"He could have killed you and it would all be my fault. After everything you've done to help me if-"

"I'm fine, Draco!" Luna smiled, a little more forcefully.

"Good." Draco said, finally letting go of her. His eyes lingered on the scar that ran along her neck, a pained expression on his face. He looked around at everyone else, who had confused expressions decorated on their pallid faces.

"Well, good work everyone. We got some death eaters put in Azkaban and saved five muggleborns!"

"I thought you hated 'mudbloods'" Hermione growled, although she was more forgiving than Ron, five years' worth of being called the worst insult possible in wizarding society wasn't forgotten so easily.

"I've learnt that blood purity isn't everything. In fact, it doesn't really matter at all. I'm-" Draco began an apology but stopped. He wasn't ready for reparations yet.

"Was that a hula hoop we just climbed through?" Neville queried, holding the plastic hoop in his fingers, looking at it inquisitively.

"I don't really know what it is, but in summer Crabbe and Goyle stole it off some muggle children, the immature bastards thought it fit to congratulate themselves for it, but I took it off them and made it into a portal. It was kind of my summer project."  
Even Hermione looked impressed by this.  
"You're a much better wizard than you think, Draco." Luna said, thinking aloud.

"Erm, thanks. Anyway, I'm going to bed." Draco said.

"Before we get killed, or worse, expelled." Ron murmured to Harry, grinning.

"Shut up, Ronald." Hermione blushed, but a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

As Draco retired back into the Slytherin common room his head was full of thoughts; since when had his mother been so against everything the death eaters stood for? Had Fenrir Greyback seen him so obviously working against the Dark Lord? And how Luna Lovegood wasn't as crazy as he thought.


	7. Chapter 7: Hogsmeade

Chapter 7

_There is a bit of AU in this chapter to do with timings as I've just realised some of the events in this chapter happen halfway through October. I doubt it will affect the story though!_

Luna walked into the Great Hall to a chorus of gasps. Although the cut on her neck was a shallow one, the river of garnet that streamed across her neck stood out discordantly against her pale skin. She waded through the crowd of staring faces, barely noticing their wide eyes, their mouths open gormlessly in shock; she was used to being stared at after all. She saw Dumbledore frown slightly, his face creased like a used bed sheet, and his eyes alight with curiosity and concern. She also noticed Draco looking at her, and she smiled to herself. She liked the idea of him being concerned about her, but she wasn't entirely sure why. When she looked into his once steely grey eyes she felt like she was going to melt sublimely. She inwardly hoped it had been her friendship that had turned those cold eyes, into warm, twinkling ones. But then she remembered him telling her that they weren't friends and that hope was diminished, like an anticipative spark of fire rising up just to be eradicated by water. She seated herself amid the chattering Ravenclaw students and began to pour herself some cereal. Padma leaned across the table, "What on Earth happened Luna? When I went to sleep you still weren't in the common room, and now you've got a massive cut along your neck." She gasped.

"It's not that big." Luna said, picking up a glimmering spoon. Padma seemed to realise she wasn't going to get an answer and went back to her food. Luna looked around and noticed the people staring at her and whispering to their friends. For once she felt uncomfortable with everyone looking at her, because she knew it was with consternation and horror rather than confusion at her eccentricity.

"How are you?" Ginny said as she walked up behind Luna, Arnold the pygmy puff perched blissfully on her shoulder. Luna could again feel a piercing gaze burning into her back and turned around, seeing Harry looking in their direction. But he wasn't looking at her; he was looking straight at Ginny, oblivious to Ron and Hermione arguing on the other side of the table, a fleck of happiness on the hostility around him. Ginny, however, hadn't noticed and Luna remembered the question she was yet to answer.  
"I don't like all these people staring at me, it feels like it's all for the wrong reasons." Luna admitted then added, "And I'm tired." She had barely gotten any sleep the night before, not only because they had gotten back late but also she had had nightmares; still hearing Greyback's snarls in her ears, feeling hot blood dripping down her throat. In the morning she had barely been able to open her eyes, feeling as if her eyelids had been sewn together.

"Me too, I could barely sleep. Do you want to go to charms?"

Luna nodded, and as they walked from the capacious Great Hall together, she could still feel hundreds of staring eyes like lasers piercing her back.

"You seem different somehow." Ginny mused as they made their way through the quiescent corridors.  
"Really?" Luna pondered. Admittedly she felt different, she was beginning to think less of the selcouth ideas her father had told her, and was thinking more about what was going on around her.

"Yeah, it just seems like you're more attentive to everything that's going on around you. Maybe it's just me."  
So Ginny had noticed exactly what Luna had been thinking.

"Is it a good thing?"  
"Yes, I think it is."

"Do you think maybe it's because I'm," Luna had been about to say friends but she wasn't sure how to describe her relationship with Draco. "around Draco a lot more?" She looked curiously at Ginny, her eyes wide. She figured Ginny knew a lot about boys. "He seems to pull me back into the real world when I'm lost in my head." She added.

"Perhaps. I think you enjoy being around each other." Ginny said, her eyes twinkling.  
"Oh, I don't think so. He said we're not friends."

"Is that so?" Ginny smiled slyly and looked Luna straight in the eyes, Luna felt that Ginny's gaze created an entrance into her own mind, and that she was reading all her thoughts. The redhead shrugged, some of her bright hair falling gracefully off of her shoulder as if fire had been made into elegant, soft strands. "Maybe I was wrong." She said, although the expression on her face suggested she didn't believe in her being erracious one bit.

As soon as Luna had taken her seat next to Ginny in the familiar Charms classroom, Professor Flitwick tottered towards them. "My goodness Miss Lovegood! Where did you get that cut?" He squeaked.

"Please not you too, Professor, everyone's been staring at me and it's really making me uncomfortable." Luna said.

"I wouldn't think that from you, Miss Lovegood. I always thought you weren't aware of such attention. You must expect me to worry, I am your Head of House, after all."  
"I suppose. Well, I was trying out a spell I'd read about, but it backfired. It really isn't as bad as it looks, though."  
"I understand what it is like to be curious, being a Ravenclaw myself of course, but you mustn't try out such dangerous spells on your own! Next time it could be much worse, make sure to ask a teacher to help you so you don't get seriously injured. I expect you may be too old for it now, but would you like me to get out the cupcakes, to cheer you up?"  
"Oh, I'll never be too old for the cupcakes, professor!" Luna grinned.

"The cupcakes?" Ginny whispered, an eyebrow raised, as Flitwick walked towards his desk.

"You'll see." Luna replied. Flitwick came back over, clutching a tin in his fingers. He wove his way through the students that were rapidly filling up the classroom towards their desk. He opened the tin and with a flick of his wand, the cupcakes within jumped out, as if scolded by fire and trying to get away. With another swish, they sprouted arms and legs and began to dance rhythmically. Soon they were jigging rapidly and capturing the attention of the other students in the room, who had begun to crane their necks to get a look at the effulgently coloured cakes dancing on the table. Luna and Ginny started laughing, and soon enough they couldn't stop; the sight was just so bizarre. The Ravenclaws nodded knowingly but the Gryffindors were laughing and trying desperately to get a good look. "I wish McGonagall would do stuff like this for us!" Ginny grinned.  
"Perhaps I should begin with the lesson." Flitwick smiled, looking around at the full classroom. Ginny and Luna groaned with disappointment as the arms and legs of the cupcakes disappeared and they became lifeless once again. "By the way, what spell was it you used, Luna? I wouldn't call myself an expert in spells of that sort."  
Luna's heart momentarily stopped. What could she say to that?!  
"Could I eat one of the cupcakes, Professor?" Ginny interrupted. Flitwick nodded, much to the annoyance of the rest of the class.  
"Simmer down, students! Maybe if you came to the lesson early you'd get some cupcakes! Although I'm not making any promises." He squeaked. "Now let's begin with the lesson."

Luna looked at Ginny gratefully, who mouthed; 'You're welcome.'

* * *

Draco sat wearily at the Slytherin table for breakfast and his eyelids were indignantly refusing to part. Fatigue was running through his blood, and also worry that some of his dorm mates had noticed his absence the previous night. A yawn forced open his mouth in a languid imitation of a beast's ferocious roar. "Feeling tired?" Crabbe grinned, signalling with his head towards Pansy suggestively. Draco almost vomited all over him right there. "Yes, although not for the nauseating reasons you're probably imagining."

Goyle sniggered.

Suddenly a breeze of quietude swept through the hall, gathering up words carelessly like crinkled leaves in the wind. Draco looked up and saw Luna wander into the room, the heart-wrenching cut clearly visible along her neck. He remembered the shudder of fear and anger that had gone through him as he saw her still figure on the ground, seconds from death. He knew that only complete longing to hurt someone could enable someone of his age and ability to perform and unforgivable curse so powerful, and he knew that the idea of Luna getting hurt because of him made him feel that. All through the previous night he had been haunted with ideas of what he would do if Fenrir's objective had been fulfilled, and it made him feel sick. He had been surprised by her strength, the fact that she hadn't cried out, or sobbed uncontrollably, or screamed. She had simply lay there and waited, probably thinking of a move she could take to impede the abhorrent fate that was about to befall her. Draco wanted to get up and talk to her right then but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to just hug her tightly like he had when they had landed in the Room of Hidden Things. But he couldn't, and that made him feel like his internal organs had ceased to work.

* * *

The next day was Saturday, and it held in its frosty fist a well anticipated trip to Hogsmeade. Just as Draco was about to set off with Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy, he saw Luna ambling towards him. He detached himself from the emerald-clad group and made his way over to her, his heart racing. "Won't your companions mind that you're talking to one of Harry's friends?" She murmured. Draco thought that they probably would, but for the first time didn't care. He wondered what this blonde haired Ravenclaw was doing to him.

"They'll listen to whatever I say, don't worry." He replied grinning.

"That's useful. I was just wondering if you wanted to come into Hogsmeade with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville and myself?"  
"Ok." Draco said immediately, not thinking of the consequences.  
"Good, perhaps you should inform your friends and then join us." Luna said, and skipped away.

Luna found herself beaming as she joined the other four. "You seem very happy about something." Neville commented. She just nodded, hardly believing Draco had agreed to come with them! She still didn't understand why she was so excited about this but she liked the feeling.

"I'm going into Hogsmeade with Potter and his friends." Draco stated, hoping his own companions would just accept this, even though he knew they wouldn't.

"What?" Pansy spat. "Is this a joke?" Draco shook his head, wincing slightly at the harsh timbre resonating in her voice.  
"Since when have you been friends with Potter, his ginger blood traitor best mate and mudblood girlfriend? Not to mention Longbottom whose brain is probably made of hippogriff droppings and Loony Lovegood who should be locked in St Mungo's for the rest of her life." Blaise snarled sadistically. Draco had a sudden urge to hit him in the face, longing for the noise like a ferocious drum emanating from the blow. Then he thought of the perfect explanation.

"You know I'm a death eater. You know Voldemort hates Harry Potter, add it up Zabini." Draco muttered back.

"You dare to use The Dark Lord's name?" He growled.

"Yes I do. I don't know why I hang around with idiots like you anyway. Piss off." Draco felt intense rancour surging through him hotly. Blaise seemed to have had the same thought as Draco and elected violence as his next weapon rather than speech. He kicked him hard in the stomach and Draco doubled over in pain, feeling a gasp flee from his mouth.

"Using muggle violence are we?" Draco spat, ignoring the fact that he had had the same urge to use it earlier. He gave Blaise a look that could burn through flesh and stalked off towards Luna and the others. Pansy scuttled over to him. "I'm sorry about Blaise, those are only his views you know." She whispered, and kissed him on the mouth. He instinctively pushed her away. "What was that for?" She whispered, a hurt look embellishing her face.  
"Not now." Was all he said and she stormed away, frustrated.

Luna felt her happiness fall away as she watched the nauseating scene between Pansy and Draco. She looked towards Neville and suggested that they begin walking. The group agreed and they trekked of the Hogwarts gates to the village of Hogsmeade. Draco ran up beside her. "Sorry about that." He said.

"Oh, it's no problem." Luna said, and even though Draco hated the idea of her being upset, he involuntarily wished she cared just a little. He hated the fact that he had to lie to the other Slytherins about who he was friends with just so that he wouldn't be attacked by them. He wished everything would just stop and he could just be with Luna and laugh with her and talk to her, she was the only remedy to the misery and hopelessness oppressing him. She somehow managed to make him smile and laugh and she gave him hope that maybe the world wasn't all that bad. And the thing was, he knew he could never tell anyone, including her because he was a danger to everyone he cared about. He wished he could be in a situation where the only person he was putting in danger was himself.

As they approached the tangle of streets that was Hogsmeade, they decided to go immediately to The Three Broomsticks, many of the shops had been boarded up and all six of the students, huddled together for warmth, had a sickening feeling they knew why. On the way Harry spotted a squat man with straggly ginger hair struggling with a suitcase. The suitcase exploded and valuable looking objects flew out, expensive debris from a shady source. Harry proceeded to shout at the man and as Luna, Draco and Neville made their way into The Three Broomsticks to get a table, they saw Harry pounce on the quivering man. Once inside they saw Ginny and Dean together at one of the corner tables. Luna waved enthusiastically and Draco whispered in her ear, "Probably not the best time." She quickly lowered her hand, Ginny smiled quickly before turning away again. "What is with them? Merlin's beard, can Ginny not find anyone her own age? Does she have to go for all my friends?" Ron muttered as he came up behind them, his face contorted in disgust.

"He was nicking Sirius' stuff!" Harry suddenly shouted as he burst through the door, but was quickly subdued by Hermione.

The six sat down at an extensive, curvilinear table and ordered warm butterbeer, which swamped over their taste buds in a sweet river of palatability, and warmed their insides considerably after the biting wind outside. They spoke of the success of the previous night and shivered as they remembered being inches from death.

"Isn't Greyback going to know it was you who used the cruciatus curse on him, and that you were helping me?" Harry asked Draco the question which had been gnawing at his mind.

"Don't worry, I modified his memory before I came back through the portal." Draco replied.

Luna noticed that a few times Ron and Hermione refused to talk to eachother, apart from engaging in rather vicious arguments, especially after Lavender approached the table and somehow got entwined in Ron's arms. After a while Draco excused himself from the table, looking nervous. Luna felt a little suspicious but didn't take much notice of it. When Draco returned he looked a little shaken. "You alright, Malfoy? If you're having problems on the loo you might want to try U-No-Poo, I'll get my brothers to give you a discount." Ron smirked waspishly.

"You'll probably get a deal after buying so much of it I expect." Draco bit back, and his annoyance urged him to use a harmless spell that caused an electric shock to weave its way through Ron's body. He shuddered and then glowered at Draco, knowing it was him who had caused the spell. "Shall we call it a day and go back to school then?" Harry suggested, his eyes straying to Ginny and Dean who were leaving the shop, undoubtedly making their way to Madame Puddifoots, the haunt of happy couples. The rest of them nodded, looking apprehensively at the worsening weather before tightening their coats around themselves and braving the outside. Luna shivered violently, feeling the chill attack her bones. She felt something woolly encase the top of her skull, a hat, she realised. She looked up to see Draco smiling down at her, and noted how tall he was. "You looked cold!" He grinned.

"Is this your hat?" Luna said airily.

"Yes, is that a problem?"  
"No, it just may look a bit weird me wearing a Slytherin hat. Luckily, Ravenclaws aren't mental about house pride."

"I expect you haven't noticed the excitement of the Ravenclaw stand at Quidditch matches then." Draco laughed. Luna loved hearing him laugh, he seemed sad so much of the time that it was good to see some elation coming from him. Suddenly his laugh was cut off by shouting voices. His eyes widened into pools of utter horror. He looked like he was about to faint.

"It's nothing to do with you Leanne!" Katie Bell, a Gryffindor chaser, shouted. Her friend, Leanne, tried to grab a package from her hands. Katie tugged it back and it fell to the ground; immediately she rose into the air. It was eerily graceful, like a possessed angel taking flight. Her eyes were closed and empty of expression, when suddenly she let out a terrible scream and her eyes flew wide open. It wasn't just a scream though; it was a scream so full of anguish that Luna felt like she was going to scream herself. She screamed and screamed, writhing in the air, before Harry, Ron, Hermione and Leanne pulled her to the ground. Once on the floor she carried on thrashing around, unable to recognize anyone, or anything that was going on. Hagrid turned around the corner and began talking to Harry cheerily, before he saw Katie's figure, contorted on the ground. "Get back! Lemme see her!" he shouted.

"Something's happened to her! I don't know what-" Leanne sobbed uncontrollably. Hagrid took control of the situation, and Luna turned around to see Draco's reaction. He wasn't there. She swivelled back to see him running towards the school as fast as he possibly could have. Luna took Neville's arm and they walked quickly to the school together, Luna didn't know if she was shaking from the cold or the day's events.

* * *

Luna searched for Draco in the two places he usually was; Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and The Room of Hidden Things, but he was located in neither. She was getting worried, the feeling thundering through her as she frantically searched the castle. She was beginning to feel hot and flustered so she flitted outside into the cool winter air. She took a deep breath and looked over the frozen Great Lake, the ice a glacial duvet cover over the halyconly dreaming water. Out of the corner of the eye she spotted a blonde haired figure, knees up to his chest. She made her way over to him, and sat down on the slowly melting snow beside him. A chill ran through her but she didn't care. "Why do you always come and find me?" Draco said suddenly, still looking out across the lake.  
"The loneliest people can do the craziest things. It's nice to know someone really cares about you. It can be crucial to stay living." Luna replied, looking carefully at his face. Now he turned to look at her, his eyes full of sadness and fear.

"Is this speaking from experience?"  
"Kind of. I know what it's like to be lonely, and although it was not very nice compared to my life now, I was never really all that hurt by it. But I've seen people who have been. " Luna whispered. When her mother had died, she had seen the change in her father's attitude towards life. It had only been in the past few years that he had begun to become his normal self again.

"So Potter changed your life?" Draco said, jealousy coursing through him.  
"I suppose, not completely, but there was a change for the better. Having friends does make a difference." Luna decided to change the subject. "Why did you do it?"  
Draco didn't have to ask what she was talking about. A new question hit him. Should he tell her? He knew she would never judge him; she wasn't that type of person. She would listen and help him, and that's what he loved about her. But he also knew that telling her about his task to kill the headmaster would put her in danger, and shock her. He made his decision and began to speak, the words flowing out of his mouth easily in a waterfall of complete truth, it was like the flow was taking a great weight from him; knowing he was able to tell the truth to someone who cared.

He told her all about the assignment Voldemort had given him, about how his family would all be murdered if he didn't do it. Finally he took a deep breath and said; "I never wanted Katie to get hurt; I knew Professor Dumbledore would be able to identify a cursed necklace. I needed to do something so that Voldemort thought I was trying. I couldn't just do nothing or my parents would be dead before I could help them, before I could think of an excuse." He inhaled another vast amount of frosty winter air, and pulled up his sleeve to show the ugly mark that danced grotesquely upon it. "I'm a death eater, his slave. I didn't want to show anyone because I thought you would all hate me. With the Slytherins it has another effect, but it makes me feel sick to look at it." He turned away, his stomach churning. He expected Luna to turn away in disgust at any moment, he expected her to scream and scramble away from him but she did something completely unexpected. She kissed her forefinger lightly and then pressed it to the mark.  
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, that symbol may be a part of you, but it isn't you. That mark doesn't define you any more than this mark defines me." She pointed to the cut on her neck.  
"How could you do that! This mark is symbol for Voldemort!" Draco said, horrified.

"I'm showing you that I don't care about the mark, I care about what's beneath it."  
Draco felt his heart racing faster than the hands of a normal clock trying to measure the speed of light. Luna gave him a shy smile, a beatific smile. He leaned in towards her, suddenly feeling a controlling urge to kiss her.

Without warning Draco heard a sound like an explosion. The two both swivelled round in shock. Shards of ice were soaring through the air and freezing water splashed down on them like diamonds from a snapped necklace flying from the neck of the lake. The looming figure of the Giant Squid appeared from the water and scooped Luna and Draco up from the ground in different snaking tentacles. Draco viscerally cried out, he turned to see if Luna was alright but she was laughing; a tinkling laugh completely full of elation. Water soaked their whole bodies but Draco found soon enough that he was laughing aswell. He didn't know what was so funny about being waved ferociously around in the air by an oversized Mollusca but he was filled with the feeling that it was absolutely hilarious. Finally they were flung back down onto the grassy floor and he felt the cold setting in; the chill sinking into his skin and caressing his bones. He saw Luna shivering, the ridiculous grin still plastered on her face. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm and they trekked back towards the castle.


	8. Chapter 8: Slughorn's Party

Chapter 8

Luna wrung the water out of her long hair, creating a tiny waterfall of saltwater from her head. "Oi! What do you think you're doing to my floor?!" She heard Filch growl from across the entrance hall.  
"Sorry." Luna murmured, looking warily at Filch's demon-like cat, Mrs Norris, who was purring scornfully at them with her eyes glinting in the hope that she would be allowed to attack the pair. Filch shook his head with animosity and shuffled away, muttering various profanities under his breath, triggering a bunch of first years to gasp in horror. Luna giggled, "I really don't understand why he works in a school since he hates teenagers so much."

"I think he's so moody because he's such a filthy squib." Draco laughed maliciously.

"I thought you might have gotten over that frame of mind, Draco." Luna said unexpectedly, "I'd better be going actually." And she turned around and began to walk away. Draco opened his mouth to say something in his defence, but he knew she was right. Although he didn't have anything against mudbloods, no, muggleborns, he still saw muggles and squibs as utterly intolerable.

As Luna walked through the elegantly antiquated corridors she realised what it must have looked like. Like she was annoyed with him, she thought of turning back but she had too much homework to do. She knew how Draco had been brought up and it was very hard to change your mind about such things; her mind wandered to cold nights by the fireplace in her own home as a child, the flames dancing gracefully as they caressed the gradually rusting grate which imprisoned them, when her mum and dad had told her stories of magical creatures which, at that moment, were creeping or prancing or slithering through the roaring wind under the roof of black, pocked with glimmering stars. She had believed all of that hadn't she? And she still did, even though she knew most people thought she was an idiot for it. Her heart wrenched as she thought of the way Draco's expression could drop into a puzzled frown, as if a rough breeze had gathered up any mirth that had previously resided there. Luna was pulled from her own thoughts by the voices of Harry and Hermione, who were talking in hushed voices. "It was Malfoy, I know it was." She heard Harry whisper.

"No you don't, Harry. We know he's on our side, otherwise he wouldn't have taken us to his house to put two death eaters in Azkaban, he wouldn't try and help us by contributing to the D.A, he wouldn't have used the cruciatus curse on Greyback. Is that enough evidence for you?" Hermione replied.

"Surely you've seen the way he looks at Luna, it's the same way you look at Ron; it was only for her that he did that to Greyback." Harry muttered.

"You don't know that! And I do not look at Ron like that, I resent that stupid-"

They both suddenly seemed to spot Luna looking inquisitively at them and shut their mouths abruptly. "Er, hi Luna." Harry said.

"Hello." She replied, still thinking about what Harry had said about Draco. Did he really look at her like that? She felt two spots of red appear on her cheeks and a small smile finding its way onto her face. She suddenly didn't feel like talking to anyone, she wanted to be lost in her own beatific thoughts. "I've got to go, sorry, bye." She said quickly, and scurried away from the confused-looking Harry and Hermione.

Draco sighed wistfully, why did he have to open his stupid pureblood mouth? He imagined Luna muttering things under her breath about how much she hated him as she walked away. His only true friend was now annoyed with him. He ran his hand through his wet hair and frowned.

"Are you just going to stand there Mr Malfoy?" He heard a voice call.

"Professor Snape!" He replied. "Um, no. I'm not."

Snape lowered his voice. "Good. I saw you frolicking about the grounds with Miss Lovegood, do you not realise that you have been set an extremelyarduous task and that these types of distractions are not good for you."

"I wouldn't exactly call being attacked by The Giant Squid, frolicking." Draco muttered.

"Hm." Snape breathed sceptically. "Anyway, I have a letter here from your mother." Snape plucked a letter from his robes and handed it to Draco, who recognized the calligraphic plum coloured script as familiarly as his own. He opened the letter with his index finger and pulled out the letter cautiously. It read:

_The Dark Lord will be here during the Christmas period, please be careful with your activities from now on._

_Lots of Love, Your mother._

He was filled with heavy dread, what if the Dark Lord invaded his mind and saw the scene that had occurred on that night at Malfoy Manor. An idea sprung unexpectedly to the front of his mind. "Professor Snape, do you think perhaps I could have occulemency lessons from you?"  
"I hear you have had rather thorough lessons from your Aunt already." Snape replied. It was true, but Draco hadn't needed to use these skills in the past three and a half months and was lacking practise.

"I just need a little practise, you know." He said honestly. Snape nodded.

"I'm not sure where these sudden desires have come from, but I suppose will fulfil your request anyway, but only because I know you are the most talented student in Slytherin house; consider yourself lucky that I have giving you the privilege of extra lessons. Tonight and tomorrow night in my office at six pm. If you would like a substantial amount of practise in before the holidays we can't have you wasting time."  
"Thank you, Professor."

Perhaps his Christmas present wouldn't consist of death this time around.

On Monday when Luna went down to breakfast she noted the new appearance of iridescent festive garlands adorning the twisting bannisters throughout the school and herculean Christmas trees littering the Great Hall. She was resenting the thought of Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape who regarded anyone associated with Harry with complete enmity. It wasn't as bad for her because she was a Ravenclaw but she had noticed that Snape was in a particularly bad mood this morning when he took points of students of his own house (!) for getting into his way.

Draco walked with Pansy, who seemed to be an irremovable growth on his arm, towards the Great Hall. There were unfortunate embellishments of mistletoe on the high ceilings which Pansy took a sickening delight in. He was already in a bad mood, the occulemency sessions had gone extremely well and Draco didn't need that much practise after all, but he had realised how depressing his holiday was going to be with the Dark Lord as a guest. Eventually it got too much so he prised the irritating girl from his arm in disgust. He held back a bit from the Slytherin gang, since he had abandoned them for Harry on the trip to Hogsmeade, all of them apart from Pansy were refusing to speak to him and when they did they were usually insults and spiteful comments. He heard a relieving voice whisper in his ear, "Did you know that mistletoe is the preferred residence of nargles?" When he turned around he was practically beaming with the knowledge that Luna wasn't annoyed with him. "No I didn't. It gives me better reason to avoid mistletoe and therefore Pansy." He grinned.

"Do you not like Pansy? I thought she was your girlfriend." Luna said.

"I'd rather kiss the giant squid than her." Draco groaned, and Luna found her spirits brightening considerably at this. "Anyway, I'd better get going."  
"See you later." Luna smiled.

"Hopefully, if she doesn't suffocate me with her mouth." Draco muttered as he felt Pansy's hand slide back into his and drag him away.

Luna's first lesson was potions, and she was so distracted by thoughts of Draco and also dread for DADA that she managed to spill a pale rose coloured potion onto arm that caused mild irritation. "Oh dear! Perhaps you should go to the toilets to scrub that off." Slughorn had chuckled jovially, quite obviously trying to hide the worry that was present in his eyes. Luna suspected the worry was more for fear of getting told off for not doing his job, rather than for her own safety. When she got to the toilets, however, she completely forgot of her fervently itchy arm because she saw Hermione curled up on the floor, tears falling rapidly from her eyes. Luna was beginning to wonder if the bathrooms of Hogwarts held some kind of charm that made you cry once you got in there. First Draco (at the thought of him her heart stopped momentarily), and now Hermione. "What's wrong?" She asked, sliding a comforting arm around Hermione' shoulders. All she got was a sniff in return, and the faint mutter of a name beginning with R. "Come on." Luna said, helping Hermione up from the floor and guiding her outside, where they saw Harry looking quite frantic.

"Oh, hello, Harry." Said Luna. "Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?"

"Oh, yeah. Er, Hermione, you left your stuff." Harry handed a cluttered pile of books to her.

"Oh yes." Said Hermione in a choked voice, taking her books and turning away to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes on her pencil case. "Thank you Harry, well I'd better get going…" And she stalked off, looking rather dejected.

"She's a bit upset. I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. I think she said something about Ron."

"Yeah, they've had a row." Harry murmured, hating being caught up in the middle if his two best friends' rage-fuelled contention.  
"He says very funny things sometimes doesn't he? But he can be a bit unkind, I noticed that last year." And this year, Luna thought, he didn't exactly accept Draco with open arms. It could hardly be expected after five years of discernible resentment though, she pondered as an afterthought.

"I s'pose." Said Harry, not really wanting to say anything against his friend. "How are you getting on this year?"  
"It's been wonderful, I might say it's as good as last year! I'm glad we've started up the DA again, otherwise I only really see Ginny. And of course there's been the addition of Draco."

"Oh, yeah, Malfoy. I'm a little suspicious of him after the Katie Bell incident." Harry admitted. Luna considered telling him the truth, but didn't think it was her story to tell, and it would probably make Harry even more wary of Draco. "Look, Luna, how would you like to come to Slughorn's party with me tonight?"  
Luna turned her protuberant sapphire eyes on him in surprise. "Slughorn's party? With you? I didn't realise that was tonight actually."  
"Yeah," said Harry. "We're supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like…I mean…er…just as friends, you know. But if you don't want to…"  
"Oh, no, I'd love to go with you as friends! Nobody's ever asked me to a party before, as a friend! Is that why you dyed your eyebrow, for the party? Should I do mine too?" Luna thought it was a brilliant idea, wondering what colour would be most interesting.  
"No," said Harry firmly, "that was mistake. I'll get Hermione to put it right for me. So, I'll meet you in the entrance hall at eight o'clock then?"

"AHA!" Screamed an eager voice from overhead. Luna looked up in shock and saw a familiar figure, his mischief filled eyes glinting with glee. Peeves. "Potty asked Loony to go to the party! Potty lurves Loony! Potty luuuurves Looooooony!" He sang. Both of the pair's eyes widened in horror, Harry's thoughts straying immediately to Ginny and what she would think if she heard and Luna thinking of what Draco's reaction would be.

"Nice to keep these things private." Harry commented.

That night, Luna was in the Entrance Hall at eight sharp, wearing a silver sparkly dress, adorned with serpentine silver tinsel which twisted around her figure like a glamorous snake. When they got to Slughorn's office where the party was being held, Harry was immediately greeted eagerly by Professor Slughorn. "Harry m'boy!" The round bellied man boomed as they squeezed through the door. "So many people I'd like you to meet!" Luna found herself being dragged along by Harry who was in turn being dragged along by Slughorn who was holding him with a vice-like grip. After participating in an over-enthusiastic conversation with Eldred Worple, Harry seemed as eager to escape from the clutches of Slughorn as she was, so they hurried over to Hermione who had just disappeared between two members of the Weird Sisters. Luna was approached suddenly by Professor Trelawney who seemed more than a little tipsy, whilst Harry comforted a stressed-looking Hermione. Luna held back a giggle at the sight and talk of the bulging eyed teacher in her drunken state. After hearing Trelawney drawl on about her resentment for Firenze, her fellow divination teacher, they were joined once again by Harry, and almost immediately after, Slughorn, who had a very angry looking Snape hooked under his arm. Luna zoned out for a little while, when to her horror she heard Harry comment on his desire to be an Auror. "I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry. The Aurors are part of the Rotfang conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're working within to bring down the Ministry of Magic using a combination of Dark magic and gum disease." Harry inhaled half his mead up his nose as he started to laugh and Luna was shocked. "Did you not know that, Harry?"

"No, thanks for telling me, Luna, but I'd still like to be an auror." Harry said, visibly trying to keep a placid expression.  
"Hm, perhaps some aurors are ok. I met a very nice one name Tonks once when I was at Ginny's house." Luna said, recalling the bright haired young woman to mind, she had been very kind and funny even if a little clumsy.

As Draco was pulled into the hot bustling room of partygoers by Argus Filch, his heart sank. When he had heard about Luna coming to the party with Harry he had been painfully disconsolate enough, but the fact that he was going to be embarrassed in front of her for being out of his dorm afterhours just put the morbid cherry on top of his cake of misery.

"Professor Slughorn, I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party, but I don't believe a word of it." Wheezed Filch. Draco noticed Luna give him a questioning look from the corner of his eye, and his heart sank slowly deeper. He also noticed how close she was standing to Harry and a spark of anger ignited within him. "Alright, I wasn't invited! I was trying to gatecrash, happy?" he said angrily, pulling free of the greasy caretaker's grip. Filch began to reply with a sadistic comment but Slughorn interrupted. "That's alright, Argus, it is Christmas after all! You may stay, Draco."

Draco thanked Slughorn for his generosity but couldn't ignore Snape's look of seething anger right beside him. "I'd like a word with you, Draco." Muttered Snape, and the two stalked out of the room.

"I'll be back in a bit, Luna – er – bathroom." Harry said, already leaving the room. Luna was quite thankful for this; she wanted to know what was going on with Draco. When she had seen him being pulled into the room, she had become quite breathless with excitement at seeing him, but upon seeing the look of fury on Snape's face she had become rather worried. As soon as Harry was out of sight, she scurried towards the door and saw Snape and Draco in the classroom opposite, but to the right a little. She stood by the door, not particularly wanting to disturb them. When the door was finally flung open and Snape strode out, a furious look decorating his face, Luna snuck out to join Draco who was rapidly walking down the corridor. "Hey!" She called, and Draco immediately swung around, a look of complete irritation painted over his sharp features. She caught up with him and said, "What happened?"  
"Snape's furious that I got caught wandering around the castle. He thought I was working towards that bloody assignment I've been set, when really I was just walking off my annoyance."  
"What are you annoyed about?" Luna enquired.

"First things first, I've got Voldemort coming for Christmas dinner so that's going to be fucking cheerful isn't it?" Draco's face was getting redder and redder with anger. "Not to mention you're now going out with bloody Potter."

"Excuse me?" Luna said, feeling shocked that Draco thought she would be 'going out' with Harry.

"Old hatred never really dies, Luna. Harry's always taken everything away from me, popularity, fame, and now you." Draco sent a burning purple spell at the wall and it left an ugly mark.  
"Harry is not any more than a good friend to me, Draco!" Luna interjected, taking his arm, getting concerned by his anger.  
"What?" Draco spat.

"He just asked me as friends; anyone who really knows him would know he would much prefer to take Ginny to Slughorn's party!"

"Ginny?" Draco said, his voice faltering.  
"Yes. I can't believe you would even think that there was anything going on between me and Harry." Luna said softly, she hated the thought of what Draco must have been feeling since the morning when he had heard the news, as the rest of the school had. Gossip travels around Hogwarts like a hurricane, Luna thought bitterly, bitterness was not an emotion that she was used to feeling. If what Harry had been whispering to Hermione was correct, she thought of how awful Draco must have felt, after her own experience of seeing him with Pansy.  
"Good." Draco whispered.

"Come with me." Luna said, taking his arm softly and leading him towards the Room of Hidden Things.  
"Why are we here?" Draco queried, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know, I just really like this room. You never know what you'll find." Luna grinned, tossing her flaxen locks behind her shoulder, her eyes darting curiously around the room. She raised her wand and whispered a spell, and an item which looked a little like a rope made of flamingo feathers flew towards them. "Is that a feather boa?" Draco said, looking a little horrified. Luna giggled and casually tossed it across his shoulders. "What-" He felt himself being lifted into the air, an insistent pull tugging at his shoulders, and he realised that it was the ridiculous roseate guise that was causing the unexpected levitation. He found himself laughing, "Who makes these things?"

"Probably Ravenclaws, in the common room there are always people inventing and creating new things. It's wonderful." Luna said whimsically, a look in her eyes like a mist of blissful remembrance. Draco removed the feather boa from his shoulders and he instantly fell towards the ground. He anticipated the cracking pain of the hard floor, when he found himself landing on what felt like a pocket of wind. He looked down and saw that he was sat beside Luna on an antique flying carpet, which had curlicuing, orange patterns like flames all over it. Draco found that when he sat on the flames it was warm and when he was on the royal blue weavings surrounding them, which he supposed represented the sky, it was cold.

"This is a wonderful room." He whispered into Luna's blonde curls. She nodded and leaned into his chest. He looked around him and saw a lamp spurting multi-coloured coloured fireworks, Draco noticed they were the various house crests, and finally in the sequence was a colossal Hogwarts crest which exploded into the dusty air. He turned around and saw Luna wearing what looked like a very plain Venetian mask, suddenly he found himself looking at a reflection of his own face. "Er, Luna?"  
"I think this is a mask that turns into the face of whoever you're thinking of." Luna smiled. Draco shook his head in befuddled amusement; it was extremely aberrant looking into your own eyes, and perhaps even stranger to watch it being peeled away to reveal another face. Luna grinned at what was sure to be his wide-eyed and mystified expression. Suddenly something expensive-looking caught his attention; perhaps it was because of his Malfoy ancestry. "Look!" He said ardently. "Wingardium Leviosa." A glimmering silver tiara with specks of sapphire amid its surface slowly levitated into the air and made its way towards them with a calm drag of Draco's wand. "Is that Ravenclaw's diadem?" Luna breathed, remembering the stories that she had been told by the older students when she was a tiny first year. Draco shrugged and placed the diadem atop her head, and completely unexpectedly to her, he bent down and pressed his lips softly to hers. Luna felt like she was falling a flying all at the same time; it was wonderful. She reached up to curl her arms around his neck and kiss him back, feeling as if all the nerves in her body were on fire. Draco himself was hardly breathing; he could feel her long hair tickling his face deliciously. He tightened his arms around her small figure. For the first time he forgot all about Voldemort and Dumbledore and all his problems, his mind was consumed by Luna Lovegood. Eventually he pulled away and smiled down at her, and Luna grinned animatedly back, her cheeks flushed a pale cardinal. He felt her cobalt blue eyes, boring into his light grey ones; a storm across the ocean. "Goodnight." He whispered into her blonde hair, glad to know her breathing was as heavy as his own. They descended from the carpet and when as they both left the room to go their respective dorms, they had something new in clutched in their hands, thinking of how much the other person would love the exotic gift.


	9. Chapter 9: Has it all been enough?

_A/N: It's been almost a month, eep! Sorry for keeping you waiting, but I worked extra hard to get this finished by tonight so that I could upload it on Draco's birthday! I hope it's compensation that this chapter is a little longer than normal._  
_Enjoy! (And if you did kindly review/follow/favourite, I'm really thankful to all of you that have so far :)_

Chapter 9

Draco woke up with the feel of Luna's kiss still lingering on his lips, and the taste of sweet serenity that accompanied it. He sat up and leaned against the oaken headboard, letting the covers slide down to his waist and smiled to himself, grateful for those moments in the morning when he could indulge in beatific isolation within the cocoon of green velvet curtains. He sat peacefully for a while until a hardening realisation struck him. Tomorrow he would be going home, but it wasn't the home he knew anymore; there was no cheerful ambience or convivial games. The Dark Lord has torn apart the life he knew, as he had torn apart the lives of so many others. He couldn't help but think that tomorrow could be the last time he saw Luna, or anyone else he had burgeoned a minor fondness for in the school in the past few months. He felt that his approaching rendezvous with Voldemort was not going to be pleasant. Draco could already sense the sickening feeling coursing through his veins, not quite being registered in his mind, but still noticeably there. So was the feeling of fear. Of anxiety. Of cultivating panic.

He slipped out of the growing heat of the covers, wiping the thin layer of sweat from his forehead. Once he was quickly dressed, he silently slipped out of the room, not wanting to alert his roommates. He padded rapidly down the stairs, his robes billowing out behind him; a soaring bird's wingspan in hues of emerald green and black. In the common room he was greeted by a rather unwanted sight, his heart dropped.

"Er, hi Pansy." Draco forced a smile onto his face, his mind battling ferociously with his morose emotions.

"Hi! I didn't see you yesterday evening, where were you?" Pansy said.  
The image of his flight through the air on the exquisitely embroidered carpet with Luna wormed its way to the surface of his mind and he impulsively grinned.

"Enjoying yourself then?" Pansy said, standing up and taking hold of his arm.

"Not exactly, I just think I'm close to succeeding in the task." He replied, attempting to shake Pansy off of him, but failing.

"I'm glad. I don't see you very much anymore, especially since you betrayed us for Potter." There was a note of inquisitiveness in her voice, as if questioning his motives.  
"They're just too stupid to realise that The Dark Lord would be glad of a friendship with Potty, Weasel and…" Draco's voice faltered. "Mudblood Granger." The word only just managed to roll off his tongue; he never imagined that one word could make him feel so awful. He felt as if he was betraying Luna, and the kindness Potter, however much they still hated each other, had shown him. He instantly wanted to take the word back but knew he couldn't change what he'd said.

"I understand." Pansy said, a little more quietly. She fought to meet his eyes and then pressed her lips to his. Draco immediately pulled away, stepping backwards and tripping over one of the elegant, ivy coloured chaise lounges. "Don't." Draco said, perhaps too harshly. He fumbled over words to explain himself, as if hoping he could pluck one from in the back of the chaise lounge he was currently stranded on. His thoughts were all on Luna, and kissing her, and the feeling it gave him. The feeling that made him think he would never have anything to worry about again, and he knew what he had to do. "Look, Pansy, I don't know if I should be telling you this. But I trust you." Compliment her to make her feel as if you still care about her, he thought to himself. "The Dark Lord is going to be at my house over the holidays, and he'll probably be searching my mind. If he discovers how I feel about you, he could use you against me and I can't have that. I don't want to put you in danger. I want to keep you safe. So you see, we can't be together." Draco almost smiled at how easily the lies flowed from his mouth in a stream of idyllic simplicity. However, there was lingering, ailing thought in the back of his mind telling him that he would probably have to say something like this to Luna one day.

"You are so kind and caring, Draco! I will fulfil your request, but it'll be hard to just be your friend." Pansy said, taking one of his hands in both of hers. He noted how callous and thick her fingers were compared to Luna's soft and gentle hands.

"I'll try not to make it too hard for you." He attempted a reassuring smile but it was careening on a snigger. Pansy wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly, like an over-affectionate boa constrictor. Draco eventually pulled away from her, "Let's not make this too hard. Now, I'm going down to breakfast." He felt the corners of his mouth twitching, being triggered by the applause at his own wit which was happening in the confinement of his head. "Okay, I'm going to go back upstairs." Pansy sniffled, and as she scurried up the stairs Draco thought he heard a sob escape her quivering lips. He felt a little sorry for the clearly infatuated girl, but the thought of not having her attached to him like an irritating limpet was enough to diminish this immediately.

* * *

Luna skipped down to the Great Hall, not able to assuage the grin that had diffused across her lips as soon as she had woken up, in memory of the prior evening. As it was really early, even for a school day, there were not many students scattered across the four extensive tables which stood sturdily in the cavernous room. She had hardly been able to sleep, still buzzing from the feeling of elation and exhilaration palpitating inside her. She settled at the Ravenclaw table and set to showering her cereal with a profusion of milk. "Hi Luna." A shy voice mumbled behind her, making her jump which in turn led to a contemporary decoration of splattered milk on the table top. She turned around to see Madeline stood diffidently on the stone floor, and couldn't help but notice there was something different about her appearance. They hadn't really spoken since mid-October when Madeline had used the love potion on Draco. "Hi Madeline, how are you?" Luna smiled brightly, using her wand to eradicate the milk dilating from her bowl.  
"I'm ok, I was just wondering if I could possibly, you know, if you don't mind-" Madeline took an intake of breath and her features calmed slightly. "Could I sit with you? No-one else is up yet." Luna was quite shocked at the idea that Madeline would be so scared to ask to sit with her. The girl could be a little irritating sometimes but Luna would never deny her the privilege to sit where she pleased.

"Of course! I'm quite in need of a breakfast buddy too." She said, patting the seat next to her. Madeline gratefully sat down, and Luna realised what was different. Hanging from the younger girl's elfin ears was a pair of radish earrings. "I love your earrings!" Luna grinned. Madeline opened her mouth to say something but then abruptly immobilised, her eyes the sole appendage of her face that seemed able to move. They flitted to just behind Luna's shoulder. "Not only do they look appealing, I hear they keep away the nargles." A familiar resonant voice drawled.

Madeline nodded eagerly in response and said, "I know I read about it in The Quibbler!"  
"As did I." The voice said again, Luna could almost hear the laugh in his throat. She finally looked up and saw Draco stood grinning behind her, his eyes full of mirth and amusement.

He sat next to her on the bench and after shooting a fleeting look at the almost vacant Slytherin table, pecked her on the cheek. Madeline giggled and a sizeable smile crept onto Luna's face. "Are you joking? About reading the Quibbler?" She said.

A look of mock horror swept across Draco's features. "Of course not!" He then looked more serious, and admittedly a touch embarrassed. "No, I'm not joking. I decided to read a few copies after our impromptu meeting with Fenrir Greyback outside my house and I wanted to find out more about the strange Luna Lovegood." He ruffled her hair playfully at this.

Suddenly the Great Hall doors swung open and a hefty duo donned in black and green waddled through the door, expressions of fury on their faces. "Oi, Malfoy!" Crabbe shouted as soon as he saw Draco at the Ravenclaw table. "Did you know our dads were in fucking Azkaban?" He growled. Draco instantly shot up, and after giving Luna's hand a squeeze, he strode confidently towards Crabbe and Goyle.  
"Honestly, your inability to do tasks as simple as reading really astounds me. I assume you have only just discovered the fate of your fathers, when the event actually happened about a week ago." Draco said drily.  
"Hey! It's not our fault we don't want to read The Daily Prophet, it's mainly rubbish anyway!" Goyle muttered.  
McGonagall walked past and shot a tempestuous glare at Crabbe, having heard his outburst as he entered the Great Hall she said, "10 points from Slytherin for your inappropriate use of profanities."  
"As if I care about house points." Crabbe sniggered quietly. Although not quietly enough.

"And detention with me as soon as you get back from the holidays!" McGonagall announced shrilly, making her way to the teachers table at the front of the hall.

Crabbe groaned loudly.

"I hear Fenrir Greyback is in Azkaban as well." Goyle said. "And rumour has it, Potter's behind the whole thing."  
"Bloody Potter, it's always Potter." Draco said harshly, receiving looks of approval from his Slytherin comrades.  
"You didn't seem to think that on our trip to Hogsmeade." Blaise said, his lithe figure striding silently through the open doors of the Great Hall.  
"You again?" Draco questioned sardonically.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Blaise growled.

"If I so recall, you spoke to me first, Zabini."

"I think I'm going to eat in my dorm, the idiocy in the room compels me to believe I could lose a few brain cells from just being near you three. Goodbye." Draco said, plucking a golden pastry from the nearby Slytherin table. He proceeded to leave the hall, not indulging in the satisfaction of their predictably shocked faces by refusing to look back.

* * *

That evening Draco had his final Occulemency session of the term with Snape. He felt it was much needed considering the company he would be greeted by when he got home. He was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate, as most of his attention was focused on blinding fear for the next day. This led to Snape getting tremendously annoyed with him and launching into a tirade about the requirement of concentration in occulemency. "If you want to hide things from Voldemort-" Snape began, and then seemed to realise his mistake.  
"Who said anything about that? I am a…faithful death eater. I can't believe you would think otherwise." Draco almost shouted, rage palpable in his quivering voice. He wasn't angry that Snape simply knew, he was angry that he had been so obvious in his disloyalty to the Dark Lord. Snape seemed to take this as an opportunity to attack the weak defences of Draco's mind and found his way immediately to the memory of Draco using the cruciatus curse on Greyback, and then the image of him holding Luna so tightly she might burst and apologising over and over again for putting her in danger. "What the hell are you doing?!" Draco yelled at his house leader. "I'm leaving."  
"You are a death eater, Malfoy. It is too dangerous for you to have people you care about."  
"I don't want to be a death eater! I want to be a sixteen year old! Don't you want me to be just the tiniest bit happy?"  
"Being a follower of the Dark Lord means your happiness can only lead to sadness."

"As if you know anything about what I'm feeling! As if you know what it means to lose someone."

"I know more than you will ever know about what it's like to lose someone! I lost her twice. Once because of my own stupidity, and once she was taken by death himself."

Draco found he couldn't say anything in response to that and chose to storm out of the room in a flurry of despondency and comprehensive ire.

* * *

The next morning came all too quickly. Draco was not looking forward to two weeks away from the kindness and revitalising safety of Hogwarts, and the people who occupied it. He wearily dumped his trunk onto one of the carriages, which seemed to pull themselves, beside some Slytherin seventh years, who he had talked to a few times, and who respected him for his immaculate pureblood heritage. Pansy had given him a sympathetic look as she clambered into another carriage alongside Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode; Blaise still hated him and Crabbe and Goyle had taken Zabini's side after seeing him supposedly befriending Potter. The carriage began rockily towards Hogsmeade, and Draco once again wondered how the carriages were able to move by themselves with such ease.

Clambering off the carriage, Draco collided with a platoon of running first years. He swore under his breath and then shoved them unceremoniously out of the way with the force of whirring helicopter propellers. They stumbled and a couple of them shot him dirty looks, before realising who he was and cowering under his drilling glare. He stepped onto the train and realised he had lost the seventh years who he had been trailing after. He sighed deeply; hoping the intake of breath would somehow overcome his feeling of annoyance and loneliness, and looked for an empty carriage.

"You can sit with us, if you want." A kind and familiar voice said. He looked down and saw Luna smiling up at him; he felt his heartbeat quicken, spurred on by the knowledge that at least someone cared about him. And what made it better was that it was someone he actually cared about too. "I don't think your friends will want to sit with me." Draco said, a flame of realisation rising up within him and desecrating any hope that resided there. "Oh no, it's only really Harry and Ron that have a problem with you, and they're sat in a different compartment anyway." Luna replied, now taking his hand and pulling him gently towards what he presumed was the compartment where she was sitting.

"Why?"  
"Have you not noticed? Ron and Hermione are still having a terrible row. I think it's over Lavender Brown. I don't blame Hermione, I'm not too fond of the girl myself, she seems to be infested by roseates."

"And what are those?" Draco inquired blithely. He had become genuinely interested in the magical creatures which Luna was mildly obsessed with.

"They increase your love of pink and make you giggle an annoying amount. Most girls become infected at some point in their life but it rarely lasts. They're not dangerous, but I'd prefer not to have them." Luna's voice became gradually more fervent as she spoke; Draco smiled to himself at the comforting familiarity and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Luna reached out and slid open the door to a compartment which held Ginny, Hermione, and Neville. He nodded at them in greeting and Luna slipped out from his arm to sit beside Ginny. Hermione looked a little shocked to see him but said hello in a quiet voice. "Hi Draco!" Ginny said cheerfully; she had been the most accepting of him so far other than Luna and Draco was grateful for her kindness. He sat down next to Luna, but didn't really talk during the journey unless he was talked to. He finally spoke properly when Ginny said, "So is everyone looking forward to the holidays?"  
"Not really, you-know-who is staying at our house and he's almost definitely going to look into my mind. If he sees what we did at Malfoy Manor then he might, you know." He drank in everyone's shocked faces and shrugged. "So this is going to be a bloody festive Christmas isn't it." He tried to joke. Everyone stayed silent for a moment. It was Neville that responded first.

"I'm no expert on He Who Must Not Be Named but I think you'll be alright. He's got you right where he wants you, sparking a friendship with Harry Potter. No other Death Eater, or whatever you are to him, is going to have that opportunity."

Draco sat silently in shock for a moment; it was the most insightful thing he had ever heard Neville say in his presence. Neville, however, took the silence as a bad sign and looked down in embarrassment and mumbled tacitly, "Well that's just what I thought anyway."

"No, that's great Neville. Thankyou." Draco said emphatically. "I feel a lot calmer now, seriously."

Neville's face reddened, and he opened his mouth to say something; a barricade seemed to instantly form between his lips so no words could escape, however, and he just nodded vivaciously instead. He had never heard Draco say a kind word before and was shocked by the lack of sneering tone or formerly compulsory insult that accompanied any sentence the Slytherin had ever spoken to him. He finally said, "S'alright, mate. He-Who-Must…Voldemort is a pretty creepy guy, I'd be worried too."

Draco relaxed in the presence of the Gryffindors, he had never really felt comfortable with them before and Luna had been a lone jewel of support around them, clad in blue amongst their red.

"I'm just going to see Dean." Ginny said abruptly, rising from her seat; the rumbling train was about a half hour to its destination. "I just want to say goodbye to him, I didn't get chance back at the castle."  
"Fighting again?" Hermione queried softly.

"Yeah." Ginny sighed, looking mildly exasperated.

"That's unfortunate." Luna murmured.

Ginny chuckled awkwardly and slipped from the compartment.

Draco realised that he needed to get on with his self-set task before the journey ended and asked Luna to come outside of the compartment with him.

"Are you ok?" Luna asked concernedly.  
"Yeah, fine. Er, I got you something. You know, because it's Christmas and all." He said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.  
"Oh! You didn't have to." Luna said, but she looked very pleased nonetheless. Her excited smile spurred Draco on.

"Avis Optivus." Draco said, and a beautiful bird emerged from the tip of his wand. Its wingtips were royal blue, and amalgamated with the fiery orange which spread over the remainder of the tiny bird's body; like an ablaze sunset sinking into an azure ocean. That wasn't all though, as Luna caught the miniature bird in her hands she gasped, recognizing it at once. "A lilcean! It's beautiful! How did you know about it?"  
"Your dad did an article on it in the Quibbler, and I thought it was perfect. You know, I heard that nargles keep stealing your shoes and if this bird can keep them away, then hopefully that will stop happening."  
"With you around I think they'll be scared to come near my anymore anyway." She said, still looking at the bird. "Did you know they change colour and glow when they sleep, so they are also helpful for people who are scared of the dark." She finally tore her gaze away from the bird and greeted Draco's eyes with a fiery look of excitement. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"I got you something aswell." She ginned feverishly, and plucked something from her robe pocket. A pebble.

Draco tried not to let the look of confusion onto is face, but was apparently unsuccessful, because Luna laughed her musical laugh, and began to explain. "This is a special type of rock which stores your memories so that you can play it back in your head perfectly, and if you wish, it can reflect onto walls so that you can watch a video of your memory to share it with others. You store the memories by holding the pebble tightly in one hand, closing your eyes, and thinking of the event. If you have memories that you want to shield from someone who will be searching your mind, you can deposit them in your pebble and they will no longer be a part of your mind. You recall these memories by tapping the pebble and saying, 'meminisse'. The memories will be safely back in your mind. Is that too complicated?" Luna bit her lip, hoping Draco would like the present; she hoped so hard she thought the cogitations might burst from her mind in a display of Luna-esque fireworks.  
"It's wonderful." Draco murmured, and he brought her towards him so close that they moulded perfectly against eachother, and kissed her softly but heatedly. She felt his warmth against her lips and their happiness was bouncing back and forth between them, each high on elation. Luna reached up and entwined her arms around his neck, the bird finally flying from her previously cupped hand and flew around them, singing a melodic tune. Draco leaned down to deepen the kiss, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"What have we got here then?" Someone laughed kindly from behind them. Luna stumbled back in disorientated surprise and was guided back to her feet by Ginny. "Who would have thought? Well, well, lovebirds, I suppose I'll leave you to it."  
"No, we're coming." Luna said, fighting the urge to laugh herself.

"You sure about that?" Draco smirked, his cheeky humour harmonising sublimely with Ginny's.  
"Yes." Luna said, reaching out to grab his hand and tug him into the compartment after Ginny. Her heartbeat was still expediting way past her bodily enforced palpitation speed limit. She beamed happily, and looked up to see Draco resisting a grin himself.

The train finally pulled up at Platform 9 3/4, and the group left the compartment and merged into the slew of students which was resounding with a buzz of chatter and cheerful goodbyes. Draco kissed Luna one more time on the mouth and whispered goodbye into her ear just before they stepped off the train. He couldn't risk her being seen with him by whichever death eaters had come to pick him up. Luna tried not to get upset over the fact that this could be the last time she would ever see him, and although she gave him a supportive smile before he retreated in the opposite direction, a lone tear wetted her cheek in an undulating route down her face. "Silly wrackspurts." She whispered to herself, and forced a smile as she wrapped herself in the comforting embrace of her father.

"Hello Draco." Narcissa smiled, as she squeezed his arm with her long fingered hand, her ruby red fingernails a beacon of colour amongst her black clothing. She hugged him slowly and whispered in his ear, "I can't speak to you now because they are watching." And then smiled at him kindly. It all seemed very enigmatic and secretive. Two figures dressed also in black escorted the pair from the platform silently and when one of them spoke, Draco jumped in surprise. "We are going to be apparating from the station. Hold my arm." Draco clutched the angry looking, broad-shouldered man's arm and was immediately whisked from the train station, landing in the immaculately manicured front garden of Malfoy Manor. Draco's head was spinning, pain licking precariously at the edges of his skull. "We've never apparated home before." He commented questioningly, looking at his mother.  
"Yes, well, you're not able to apparate from platform 9 ¾ and then outside of that there's always the risk of muggles seeing us. However as the Dark Lord is here, we've taken special measures to be quick getting you home." Narcissa took a deep intake of breath, and Draco noticed her wringing her hands nervously. They walked briskly towards the manor, and as they did, Draco cautiously slipped the pebble from his pocket and closed his eyes. He thought of the events at Malfoy Manor when he was there with Harry and the others, of teaching Harry dark arts spells, and of kissing and being with Luna. Especially his memories of Luna in fact; he wanted nothing more than to protect her from the wrath of Voldemort. However, he kept some of the memories of casual conversations with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and some of the trip to Hogsmeade. He felt as if Voldemort would approve of these things, as it would help in his task.

"Are you ok, love?" Narcissa asked Draco putting a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw that they were in the aged entrance hall of his home. But it didn't feel like home. It was cold, dark and bereft of happiness. The manor had never really been the happiest place but he had joyful memories here with his mother and father. He couldn't imagine any happy memories happening here in the future. He sighed and nodded. "Do you want to get a glass of water from the kitchen?" Narcissa said, an urging tone in her voice and a look of seriousness in her eyes. Draco realised she wanted to speak to him alone. She looked over at the two death eaters who had escorted them to the manor and smiled sweetly, "We'll be five minutes." They nodded, and Narcissa took Draco gently by the arm towards the kitchen.

As soon as they got there, she started whispering rapidly and desperately. "They think something's going on in our family. Ever since that night when we freed the muggle-borns they've been suspicious. And then as Fenrir Greyback was taken off to Azkaban he said your name, I assume you had something to do with it. Be careful, Draco. Please."  
"The Dark Lord wishes to speak to Draco now. Mrs Malfoy, go up to your room, it has been requested that he is seen alone." One of the men said robotically as he arrived at the door

"I do not wish to be ordered around in my own house." Narcissa said coldly, brushing past the man.

"But you live to serve the Dark Lord, so you will do as he asks. In your own house or not." The man said.

"Of course." Narcissa said, with a falsely saccharine smile over her shoulder. She flounced up the stairs, her blonde her bouncing up and down as she went.

Draco put his head down and walked after the man into the large hall where they held dinners and parties, and which was also the favourite place of Bellatrix's to torture people in.

"Draco." Voldemort said raspingly, giving him a serpentine smile. "So good to see my youngest death eater." Draco wasn't fooled by the false kindness, he knew the dark lord was suspicious of everyone and would soon be searching his mind. Just as he thought it, he felt the presence of the Dark Lord in his mind. He immediately tried to think of the memories he had just embedded in the pebble, but they were gone from his mind completely. He felt Voldemort sifting through memories of him talking to Harry, giving the cursed necklace to Katie Bell and various unimportant memories. He tried to keep his thoughts calm, even though franticness was racing through his veins and sparking his nerve endings. Finally Voldemort withdrew from the confines of Draco's skull.

"I see you have been trying with the task I have set you. But it has not been enough."


	10. Chapter 10: Dumbledore's Army

_A/N: Apologies about the long wait! It's been a fun little time named exam season which I'm sure a lot of you have been experiencing. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review if you do, as it really spurs me to update quicker. Thanks for all your reviews, follows, favourites and just for taking your time to read this! Now on with the story :)_

Chapter 10

Draco closed his eyes, waiting for the curse that would end his life, waiting for the words to roll off of Voldemort's tongue which so thirsted for the taste of death. His face paled to the colour of the winter sky before snow. He clenched his fists to stop his hands shaking, and felt his nails digging into his palms like incisors breaking into a slab of meat. He felt salty tears ricochet off the back of his eyelids. His breaths became faster and faster, rattling against his ribs and quivering through his windpipe.

A few excruciating moments passed.

"Open your eyes, Draco. I understand that you fear me, of course you do, I am your master. However, I am not going to kill you." Voldemort's voice bored into the thick silence.  
A breath escaped Draco's shaking lips, a breath packed with relief and dwindling fear. He fought for something to say, but all he could do was open and close his mouth constantly. His eyelids slid open like a theatre curtain being lifted open to reveal a show of solace and mitigation, which danced feverishly in his light grey eyes. "Thankyou, my Lord." He finally whispered, and met the Dark Lord's blood red eyes. A sly smile etched itself onto Voldemort serpentine features.

"When you return to Hogwarts, I wish you to tell your closest Slytherin friends of your task. I want them to assist you in your, feeble, efforts." He said simply. "Perhaps it will make them understand why you have been spending time with Harry Potter and his friends, before they do something overly moronic. I'm sure they don't want to get on the wrong side of a Death Eater." Voldemort laughed menacingly, the seldom event causing his waxen features to contort unnaturally.

He reached out a long fingered hand and gestured behind him for Nagini to come forwards. The gargantuan snake slithered menacingly towards them, its slit eyes glaring murderously at Draco. He thought he saw the hulking reptile smile evilly. Draco shivered involuntarily and tore his gaze away from the creature to look at Voldemort. "I will not be staying. I have other matters to attend to, enjoy your festivities." The man said. This led Draco to wonder if he was really a man. Perhaps a demon. Or an animalistic creature. He knew that Voldemort had once been a student at Hogwarts himself, he himself had been compared to the sinisterly intelligent Tom Riddle numerous times before; this was something he was no longer proud of. But he couldn't help but wonder, what had Tom Riddle become?

"Oh, and before I leave, does the name Fenrir Greyback mean anything to you?" Voldemort said.

Draco vaguely recognized the name, and searched his mind for any memory of him. One tiny morsel of information wormed its way to the forefront of his brain. "Is he a werewolf?" Draco asked. Voldemort remained expressionless, but nodded once, slowly.

"Don't turn out like your father. Don't fail me, Draco." Voldemort said his name slowly, savouring it as if it were an ambrosial delicacy. Draco couldn't help but think that he would become just that for Nagini if he did fail. And this made him feel sick to the core. The Dark Lord disappeared in an explosion of what looked like black smoke, along with his snake.

Draco felt his legs give way beneath him, as if he were under the effect of the jelly-legs jinx. He succumbed to the inviting force of gravity which pulled his whole body down the ground. He found he was shaking so much that he couldn't bring himself to get back up; the hard floor could have been a bed of feathers for all the difference it made. He ran a quivering hand through his platinum hair which was damp with sweat. He didn't remember feeling like this after meeting with The Dark Lord before.

"Mother?" He attempted to shout, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper. "Mum!" He cried out, sonorously this time. He heard rapid tapping coming down the marble staircase. Narcissa glided into the room, wisps of hair flying anarchistically from the sides of her pallid face; from the look of terror on her face, Draco supposed she'd been playing with her normally perfectly slick hair to distract herself. "Are you ok? What did he do to you?" She said frantically, placing a slender arm across his shoulders and mopping some of the sweat from his brow with her sleeve. "Nothing, it's, just, shock." Draco breathed, pausing between each word to inhale deeply. He smiled weakly up at his mother, whose irises were floating above a tiny ocean of tears. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Good."

Lucius Malfoy strode into the room and looked disdainfully down at his family, huddled on the floor. Draco, who had finally stopped shaking, briskly stood up and brushed down the black suit he almost always wore. "Where's the Dark Lord?" He said, as Narcissa also stood up.  
"Lucius, have you not seen the state your son is in? Is the Dark Lord all you really care about?" Narcissa said irritably.  
"Are you ok, Draco?" Lucius sighed, turning to his son.

"Fine." Draco muttered a reply. He didn't feel as if his father would understand. He completely forgot that this was the first time he was seeing his father since he had been carted off to Azkaban, it seemed like Lucius had forgotten aswell.

"See!" Lucius said, holding out a hand in the direction of Draco so that Narcissa would indeed see that he was fine. She simply looked bemused. "So, where is he, Draco?"

"He's not staying. Christmas is probably just another day to him." Draco shrugged, not caring to delve deeper into the mind of the man who had control over his life. "I'm going up to my room."

* * *

Luna awoke on Christmas day to a snowflake landing on the tip of her nose. Her eyelids flitted open, her eyelashes fluttering like a butterfly's wings. A bright white sky, littered with falling snow gazed down at her. A firework exploded into the sky, like a thousand tiny jewels in a mass of iridescent colour had been flung into the chilly winter clouds. The fireworks formed the words: "Merry Christmas Luna!" And as soon as she had read the dazzling script, she was engulfed in a hug by her cheery looking father. "Happy Christmas, Dad!" She grinned. "Why am I outside?" She pondered, although she felt as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You said something about waiting for Father Christmas I believe? I've never heard of him but I was all for your curiosity so I let you stay outside." Xenophilius smiled, and handed Luna a warm butterbeer she had noticed he had been holding before.

"Oh yes, we learnt about him in Muggle Studies before the holidays! I wanted to see if he was real, but I suppose I fell asleep. I guess I'll have to wait until next year." Luna shrugged, and stood up. They walked inside to open presents and have their breakfast which consisted of eggnog and some chocolate frogs Luna had received from her friends back at Hogwarts.

Luna found her thoughts sweeping to Draco, wondering if he was alive, and if he was ok. She decided it wasn't worth worrying; she could wait until she found out if he was actually ok or not before she worried.

* * *

The end of the Christmas holidays came quickly and January brought the new term of Hogwarts with it. Luna sat down at the Ravenclaw table for the start of term feast next to Padma and scanned the Great Hall for any sign of those familiar grey eyes and light blond hair. She had promised herself she wouldn't worry, but it wasn't something you could control; it eat away inside of you and when you finally accepted that the worry was there, your worst fears had become reality. She finally spotted him at the far end of the Slytherin table, seated with his usual friends again, laughing and joking. Luna sighed heavily in relief, causing Padma to look quite funnily at her. Luna beamed at her befuddled expression, unable to take the smile off her face. "Happy about something?" Padma questioned, now fighting a smile herself at the ridiculous sight.

"Oh yes." Luna breathed. A thought struck her; what if Draco no longer wanted to be with her now that he had his friends back? She quickly shook away the thought but it remained deep within her mind.

Draco had told his friends that he was able to inform them of the task, as soon as they had all arrived through the floo network. This had caused eager excitement, and he decided to postpone the news even longer to relish in their anticipation, and to watch as they slowly began re-accepting him as their Slytherin superior. Only Blaise remained wary of him, but he had expected that. All Draco really wanted now was to see Luna, to show her he was alright. Once Voldemort was gone, he had restored his memories from the ensorcelled pebble using the _meminisse_ charm Luna had told him to use.

"I hope you all had a fantastical Christmas, now off to your common rooms!" He heard Dumbledore shout cheerily from the front of the Great Hall. He got up quickly and started walking towards the huge oak doors which had just swung open to reveal a gaping hole for the students to exit through. He joined the buzzing throng of students, ignoring Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle calling for him, and weaved through the mass of teenagers. Once he had stepped through the doors he stood off to the side, and scanned the crowd for a cloud of light blonde hair that signalled the arrival of Luna Lovegood. He spotted her walking along with one of the Patil twins, he believed it was Padma, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. "Hi." He breathed, smiling nervously at her. Luna remained silent for a millisecond, her topaz eyes fixated on him, before registering what was going on. "I'm so glad you're ok!" She said, a grin carving onto her soft features as she stood on her tiptoes to hug him and buried her face in his neck. Draco saw Padma looking confused out of the corner of his eye, but noticed that she then also smiled and shook her head in content disbelief. "Good Christmas?" Draco asked, threading his fingers through Luna's as they walked across the entrance hall to where Padma was standing.

"Oh, it was wonderful! Need I ask if you enjoyed yours?" Luna said, an imploring undertone creeping into her voice.

"It was surprisingly ok." Draco then lowered his voice. "You-know-who left almost as soon as I had seen him, so there was no need for me to worry, really. Not after he had investigated my memories and found nothing worthy of punishment."

"That's very fortunate." Luna whispered back.

"Hello Malfoy." Padma said, a smug and slightly amused look dancing on her face. Draco quickly detached his hand from Luna's and ran his hand through his hair. "Um, hi." He said nervously.

"I'm not going to judge you, don't worry." Padma laughed at Draco's awkwardness. He looked down to see Luna attempting to hide a smile as well; although she couldn't really blame him for being worried seeing as most of Potter's friends hated him. Speaking of the bespectacled git, um, Gryffindor, Draco corrected himself, Harry approached them ever-accompanied by Hermione Granger, although Ron was nowhere in sight. "Hi Harry! Where's Ron?" Luna greeted him cheerfully.  
"Won-Won is off with his precious Lavender." Hermione muttered derisively. Harry looked a little uncomfortable at this comment but chose to ignore it. "You know the D.A?" He said, meeting Draco's gaze.

"Of course." Draco replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm really busy at the moment, and I was just wondering if you would be able to take over? I know you didn't want to interact with my friends, but if you really want to be able to defeat Voldemort you're going to need all the help you can get." Harry said, looking increasingly agitated.  
"Merlin's beard, Potter, I've never even talked to half these people before and three quarters of them probably hate me, how do you expect them to listen to me?" Draco said irritably.

"They have every right not to." Hermione said sharply. "But if Harry tells them to, they will."  
"Of course, because everyone worships Harry bloody Potter."

"You're lucky I even listened to you in the first place. I might as well leave you and your arrogant pureblood family at the mercy of Voldemort, ungrateful…"  
"Stop it!" Luna interrupted. "There was no need to be so rude, Draco, Harry's trying to help you and you're throwing it back in his face!" Draco felt a spark of jealousy, how could he expect Luna to not be on Potter's side? He didn't want her to be annoyed with him though, so he sighed deeply, and wiped his hand across his forehead as if deciding thoughts would magnetise towards it.  
"Fine, what have you taught them so far?"  
"Just what you've taught us, as well as some simple defensive and attacking spells."

"I assume that includes how to defend themselves from unforgivable curses?"

"Well no, I didn't want to use them on anybody, I thought it was too dangerous."

"I told them you needed to teach them that first! If Death Eaters have a choice, they'll go straight for an unforgivable curse!" Draco almost shouted, and then realised where he was. "I'll be teaching them that first then. Let's have the meeting on Wednesday, ok?"

"Thanks, Malfoy." Harry said, and then began walking with Hermione up the stairs in the direction of what Draco assumed was Gryffindor tower.

"Alright, Potter." Draco replied, and then said a feeble goodnight to Luna before traipsing towards the Slytherin Dungeons.

* * *

"What was all that about Luna? You and Malfoy?" Padma exclaimed as they walked up to Ravenclaw tower. She didn't seem disgusted, thank Merlin, merely excited and surprised.  
"Yes, he's become a much nicer person, plus he's having a really hard year and I wanted to help him." Luna said, dreamily.

"That's my Luna." Padma laughed, nudging her knowingly on the arm. "Cares about everyone, even Draco blooming Malfoy." Luna opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the unceasingly burnished bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle which lodged on the door to the common room. "I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; on the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?" It asked. Luna's Ravenclaw mind got the better of her and she abandoned the conversation in order to pursue the answer. It seemed Padma was doing the same, as she closed her eyes, something that indicated she was thinking hard. After a couple of minutes Luna said, "A fan?"

"Not quite." The knocker replied.

"A windmill!" Padma said enthusiastically. The door swung open, and it was as if the world had been taken off mute as the buzz of conversing Ravenclaw's entered the once quiescent air.

* * *

"Tell us the task, Draco. Please!" Pansy said to Draco, in a hushed whining voice in the corner of the Slytherin common room alongside Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise.  
"You'll be shocked." Draco said slyly, wanting to relish in toying with them a little longer.

"I don't care." Said Crabbe primly, attempting to look superior and worthy by protruding his chest which Draco thought was probably as wide as the Thames in Muggle London.

"My task is…" Draco paused, not enjoying the conversation any longer as the memory of what he did hit him again, like a wave crashing against the sand after a period of repose. "I have to…to kill Albus Dumbledore." He tried to smile as if he was filled with pride at this, but he could feel a cold sweat running down his back and he involuntarily dug his fingernails into his palms.

"Merlin's bloody beard." Goyle sillibated, looking a little breathless with shock, his eyes wide in amazement.

"The Dark Lord must think you're a really great wizard." Pansy said, reaching out and squeezing his hand. "That's amazing, Draco." Draco, however, suspected that Voldemort just wanted to see him fail and then he had the perfect opportunity to kill him as punishment for his father's failure at the Ministry.

"Wow, Malfoy. I guess a part of your plan is to get close to Potter then?" Blaise said finally, looking a little dejected. Draco suspected it was because he would now be unable to become the new Slytherin 'leader'.

"Yes, Zabini, that is my plan, and I don't know how you didn't see it before." Draco rolled his eyes. Blaise came and sat next to him and said under his breath:

"I think we could be good friends, Draco. I'm sure you want company other than idiots like Crabbe and Goyle, or Potter and his friends. If you ever need to have an intelligent conversation just talk to me."  
"I believe you were the one who expressed your hatred for me first." Draco said coldly.

"I was fucking jealous, get over it. I managed to." Blaise said. Draco nodded,

"Why not?" He shrugged, and shook Blaise's outstretched hand.

Draco wrung his hands nervously together as he stood in front of the crowd that was entitled Dumbledore's Army. Hermione was stood on one side of him, and Harry on the other; he had decided to accompany Draco for the first meeting. Ron had decided not to turn up, although that was only to be expected. Lavender Brown wasn't present either, no surprise there. However, something that did cause bewilderment was that Luna was nowhere in sight. She wasn't the type of girl that blended in either, so Draco couldn't imagine he'd missed her.

* * *

"Um, hi. I'll be leading Dumbledore's Army today." He said nervously, looking at the disgusted faces of all the people who probably hated him. It was very unnatural to hear the anxiety in his normally calm and slightly sarcastic voice.

"We guessed." Someone piped up scathingly.

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Corner." Draco said, trying to sound calm and kind, but anger was slowly building up within him.

"I'm surprised you even know my name, arrogant pureblood bastard."

"Michael!" Ginny exclaimed, looking disgusted.

"If Harry trusts him maybe we should too?" Terry Boot muttered to his friend.

"Exactly. We know well enough that Draco can help us." Hermione said, scanning her eyes over the crowd of students. Draco suddenly felt very out of place in his emerald lined Slytherin robes, feeling as if the badge which was sewn onto them was what made him who he was. He realised this must have been how the muggle-borns he had pushed around and called names for having non-magical parents must have felt.

"I'm sorry for anything I said or did to you in the past. But now, I'm trying to help, I'm not asking you to like me, I'm just asking you to listen to me." Draco said.

"He makes Luna happy, so I'm happy." Padma said simply. Draco smiled gratefully at her, feeling his heart warming. He could hardly comprehend that these people, who he had been so horrible to, could be so kind to him.

At that moment Luna walked in. "Sorry I'm late! Why do you looked so shocked Harry?" She said. Draco saw that her hands appeared to be covered in garnet coloured liquid. Blood. He raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help but smile as he saw the look of puzzlement on her face.

"Harry?" She said again.

"What is going on with you and Draco?" Harry asked.

"Oops, I didn't realise not everyone knew." Padma said apologetically.  
"Don't worry about it. Now let's get on with the lesson shall we?" Draco said. Harry continued to look astonished and Draco, Luna and Padma kept bursting into sporadic laughter, until Harry's face dropped into a casual one once more, like electric shocks into the silence.

"Ok, today we'll be learning about unforgivable curses. Only the Imperius and Cruciatus, mind." Draco said. The amount of breath inhaled by the crowd could have fuelled a hurricane. "It's what the death eaters are going to go for straight away." He shrugged.

"Those of you who are in sixth year, will have been taught by Professor Moody, or Barty Crouch Jr as we later discovered, and he used a spider when showing us the Unforgivables. This is what we'll be doing as I don't want this going wrong, and it is too barbaric to use these kind of curses on each other."

Everyone nodded, but most had looks of fear or horror painted across their pallid features.

"Accio spider!" Just as Draco thought it would, in such an old room, a spider flew immediately into his hand. Someone squealed girlishly. Draco shook his head at the stupidity of being scared of spiders when there were so many more things to be scared of. "Engorgio!" The spider immediately burgeoned into a larger version so everyone could see. The final spell he muttered was, "Crucio!" He said it quite casually, with just a trace of vehemence. Draco was so used to the curse that it was simple to use, but some people screamed or covered their eyes so that they didn't have to see the eight legged creature twitching manically. "What I want you to do, is hold a spider in your hand, your partner will cast the cruciatus curse from it, and you have to attempt to defend the spider. If I see you're struggling I'll come around to show you the correct way to defend the creature. Is that okay?"

There were a few half-hearted nods, but soon enough there were spiders flying across the room and curses being fired and defended. Draco saw Neville struggling greatly to curse the spider in Luna's still blood-stained hands. "Are you okay, Longbottom?" He asked.

"It's just quite hard for me, knowing my parents were tortured using this spell and turned insane by it. I can't imagine it being used on a human being." Neville said quietly, sounding distressed.  
"Do you want me to work with Luna, I can teach you on your own another time if it's too hard for you?" Draco suggested. Neville hesitated for a moment, obviously not wanting to seem cowardly or stupid. "It was unbearable for me about the first ten times I saw Crucio used, it still is unbearable, but I'm able to stay in the room without being sick or fainting now. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to leave." Draco said kindly. _Luna really has changed me_, he thought amusedly to himself. Before he probably would have laughed in Longbottom's face and hexed him for good measure.

"I think I'll go. I really don't deserve to be in Gryffindor." Neville sighed, and began walking away.

"You do. I know you do. And you'll prove it to yourself one day." Luna called after him. "I wish he'd stop feeling so bad about himself." She sighed. Draco looked down at his feet, remembering that he was a part of the reason why Neville was so insecure. He hastily changed the subject, "Why have you got blood on your hands?" He asked, worry tingling inside him.

"I was feeding the thestrals." Luna said placidly.  
"There are thestrals in this school?" Draco exclaimed; he had never seen one before.

"Yes, but they can only be seen by those who have witnessed death." For once Luna sounded forlorn, and Draco watched as she subtly consoled herself before smiling and looked up at him.  
"Who have you seen that has died?" Draco asked quietly, not wanting to upset her.

"I'll tell you another time; perhaps we should get on with the task." Luna said, still smiling weakly. "Tergeo." She said, and the blood siphoned off of her hands towards her wand, and dematerialized. Draco squeezed one of her inaugurally clean hands supportively before proceeding to teach her how to defend the cruciatus curse.

A couple of hours later, the eager class had been taught to defend themselves from the cruciatus and imperius curses. Of course, their ability was volatile and victim to instability, but Draco suspected that with practice, the students which death eaters assumed to be helpless and flaccidly weak, could truly become the army their name suggested.


	11. Chapter 11: The Forbidden Forest

_A/N: I am finally into the Summer Holidays! Hopefully that means I'll be able to update more, although I'm not making any promises ;)_  
_Sorry that this is such a short chapter, it's about the same length as the first one, but I didn't really have any more to include. Thankyou for all the reviews, favourites and follows I've had so far. I know this is a rather obscure ship so they are much appreciated! Please continue doing so and you'll recieve a virtual potterhead hug, x_

**Chapter 11**

Draco watched a frail, wispy looking middle-aged man sweep into the great hall. His features were strangely colourless, as if all the colour had been sucked out of him. "Good morning, my name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparation instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your apparation test in this time-" The man began.

"So what's your plan for doing, you know, the thing?" Crabbe said, attempting to sound knowledgeable, his voice fading into a whisper.

"I'm not telling you." Draco said primly.

"I can help you."  
"No you can't." Draco said, rolling his eyes so that it seemed like his irises were leaping over a stream of white.

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" Professor McGonagall barked. Dull spots of salmon pink appeared on Draco's cheeks, and in his annoyance he stepped away from Crabbe, feeling as if he had emerged from a bubble of stupidity that accompanied the rotund boy.

"-by which time, many of you may be ready to take your test." Twycross continued, expertly ignoring the interruption.

Draco sighed inwardly, and cursed his late birthday. It would be so embarrassing watching other students less skilled than him pass their apparation tests before him, whilst he had to make do with other forms of Wizarding travel.

"Well, when are you going to do it?" Crabbe urged, once Twycross had finished speaking.

"I don't know how much longer, all right? It's taking longer than I thought." Draco heard shuffling behind him, and turned around to see Harry Potter looking at him, eyebrows raised.

"Arguing about something?" Harry said, looking amused.

"It's none of your business, Potter." Draco snarled.

Harry's voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper. "The others may believe you didn't give the necklace to Katie Bell, but me and Ron are fairly certain it was you."

Draco's sharp features flickered into an irked frown, and he quickly turned back around, making sure not to talk to Potter for the rest of the lesson.

Overall, the lesson was uneventful, other than the unfortunate splinching of Susan Bones. However, Draco was looking forward to future lessons; he _knew _that apparating would help him in life, unlike some of things they had learnt previously. Such as those stupid, bloody Flobberworms they had been forced to tend to with the half-giant Hagrid.

* * *

Draco retired to his room, flinging himself through his viridian curtains and landing on the mountain of soft cushions on his bed. An insistent squawking catapulted him from the placidness he had sunk into, and a little nip on the finger told him his owl was trying to get his attention. He opened the curtains, watching the sleek silk melt away to reveal a tiny, flustered looking bird with a piece of parchment in his petite talons.

"Thank you." He grinned, plucking the letter from the owl's beak and handing the owl a treat.  
_After your apparation lesson, meet me in the Forbidden Forest._

The word Forbidden was written upside down, which could only mean the letter was from Luna. It was probably her idea of a secret code, Draco smiled to himself. He quickly brushed his hair from his eyes, returning it to its pristine home in the sea of white blonde hair that swam atop his head. He ran down the stairs, out of the common room, and finally, out of the castle's grand doors. A pocket of blue sky was wedged between the mass of light grey clouds which formed an army of bleak resistance. He sincerely hoped rain wouldn't make an appearance. The green leaves and gnarled branches of the forbidden forest painted a picture of welcoming, and Draco fought his way through them; he ignored the spiky branches which reached towards him like animated pinpricks. Twigs snapped under his feet and the blanket of hardened mud with its skin of soft moss propelled him forwards.

Draco finally saw Luna in the distance, stroking what looked like thin air. She looked completely serene, her light blonde hair like a cloud which her head was floating in. "Hi Luna?" He said, as if questioning whether he was allowed to speak, and perhaps if she would notice in her reverie. "Oh, hello Draco." Luna said, the melodic element to her voice resonating through the air as usual. She threw a large slab of meat into the air, and it then disappeared. Draco's eyes widened in surprise.  
"What are you doing?" He queried.

"Feeding a thestral. They seem to enjoy their dwelling in the Forbidden Forest, but I like to give them something to eat."

Draco wondered why he couldn't see anything, he knew thestrals were dangerous and omens of misfortune, but could they have powers he didn't know about? Powers that made them more lethal than anyone could have thought? "Why can't I see it?" He asked. Luna lost her look of calm for a moment, before regaining her indifferent and peaceful composure. "Oh, they can only be seen by people who have seen death." She said. "I assumed you would have already, from living in a house with death eaters."

"I would have too. Unlike Voldemort I don't enjoy seeing the light leave their eyes; their final breath; their final word; their final scream. I don't really like seeing them being tortured either but my Aunt Bellatrix makes me watch. She calls it learning. I hate the idea of death eaters taking over Hogwarts. Who have you seen that's died?" Draco said kindly. Luna looked down at her fingers, then absent-mindedly stroked the thestral Draco assumed was next to her, "I don't like to talk about it, I don't want sympathy. I'll tell you when I'm ready." Luna said quietly, it was the first time Draco had ever seen her looking uncomfortable and wistful. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her; she grinned back, the doleful look she had possessed a few moments ago was gone.

"So you made me come out here to see something I can't actually see." Draco grinned.

"I told you, I assumed you'd be able to see them. However, not to worry, this place is an alcove of interesting things." Luna said, she averted her eyes from him and darted her gaze through the thick tree trunks and spindly branches. She saw a familiar gleam of opaline white through the sparse curtain of greenery and smiled. Here was what she had been looking for.

She crept across the floor of dead leaves, broken twigs and mud. She wandered under the canopy of jade green leaves, sweeping aside the tangled vines which were like long wispy fingers, desperately reaching towards the ground for scraps of safety. And there it was. Standing perfectly still was a unicorn, glowing with serenity. Luna hoped she had inherited her mother's gift for looking after magical creatures, she had always been fine with them before, but unicorns were different. They were more knowing; they could sense people's feelings and intentions. She reached out and stroked the majestic creature's mane, which seemed like it was made of strands of moonlight. Its whole body was so brightly white that snow would look grey in comparison.

Luna stroked its back, and then gestured for it to follow her through the leaves, into the clearing where Draco was waiting. It cantered along behind her on its shimmering golden hooves, and stopped beside Luna in the centriole of it. "Is that a unicorn?" Draco asked, looking surprised.  
"Actually it's a grown Flobberworm." Luna quipped.

"Oh yes, of course. How could I ever make that mistake?" He smiled, extending the joke. His tone then changed to a softer one. "This is the first time I've seen a unicorn since first year."

"Really? Padma told me Professor Grubbly-Plank brought some in last year."  
Oh, I usually skipped Care of Magical Creatures. It's a complete joke, especially with that-" Draco coughed. "With Hagrid teaching."

"He is somewhat a joke with the Ravenclaws as well, he doesn't really interest us. However, he is very good with satisfying our curiosity if we ask questions, he is clearly very knowledgeable on the subject. He is a lovely person though; I'd much enjoy assisting him in teaching the lesson some time."  
"I'm sure you'd be brilliant at it!"  
"Thank you! Would you like to come a bit closer to the unicorn?"  
"Er, no thanks. I'm not too good with animals."

"The great Draco Malfoy, scared of a unicorn?" Luna giggled, and whispered something in the unicorn's ear. It began to advance on him, and when it was close enough it nuzzled against his arm. He laughed nervously and backed away.  
"What a lovely creature." He said, pushing it away from him slightly.

Suddenly there was loud bang and the unicorn bolted away. A phalanx of centaurs entered the clearing. "Miss Lovegood." The one at the head of the clan announced. "We do not much mind you here in the forest, but we do not appreciate the presence of anyone else in our territory."  
"Oh, I'm sorry Bane. Do you want us to leave?" Luna said.

"I suggest you get out now, unless you wish to anger us further."  
Luna nodded and gestured for Draco to follow her through the trees.

"What time is it by the way?" Luna pondered as they walked towards the castle. "I have no idea of the time whilst I'm out here."

Draco looked down at his watch, which had two snakes circling the face with minute emeralds for eyes. At each hour they would cross paths and travel around the clock face, like slithering trains. "One pm."

"Wow, I've been out here for two hours! It feels like ten minutes." She lowered her voice to an anxious sibilation. "I think it must have been Time Imps. They're awful creatures, with clocks for face and tiny wings, thin as tissue paper, which they flap rhythmically by the second. If they flap their wings faster, time goes on quicker. I've lost a lot of time because of them."

Draco laughed. "You put a lot of thought into this. Are they actually real? I mean, most of the stuff you say is believable but I'm starting to think you make some of this stuff up just to make people laugh." He raised his eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair, a smile dancing on his lips.

Smudges of fog swept through the trees. "Of course they're real. They are to me anyway. You know as well as I do, that I don't care what people think, but when it's people I care about…I just want them to be the people that believe me." Luna said softly, her piercing blue eyes boring into his, cutting as the sharpened sapphire that the colour of them resembled. "I didn't mean it like that, Luna. I was just making sure."  
"Why did you need to though?" She queried, her curiosity blazing in her expression.

"I don't know."

"Ok."  
Draco was grateful for Luna's permissive forgiveness, and relief surrounded him like a comforting blanket as she took his hand and they continued walking through the intensifying fog.

* * *

During the next D.A meeting Draco decided to work on leglimency and occulemency. He taught everyone what needed to be done and paired them up. He, of course, made sure he was with Luna. "So you need to think of a powerful memory, which will be easy for you to put at the forefront of your mind so that I don't find anything you don't want me to." He said.  
"I know, Draco. I was listening." Luna said, a ghost of a smile haunting her thin lips. He nodded vigorously in response. "Of course, yes." He said, and began in a monologue of prattle about the weather.

_What is he talking about? _Luna thought to herself.

She hazily heard him talking about rain, and her memory went from thinking about the Great Squid snatching them up from the ground and waving them around like human maracas, to a much more morbid memory. _Icy pinpricks of rain bore onto her. The grey clouds were an army of bleak resistance, fervently blocking away the sun. Tiny rays of sun wormed their way through cracks in the cloud infantry, sending spots of heat onto her back alongside the rain. "Luna, dear! I think I've cracked it! I've got the perfect spell to help heal the unicorn. You know, the one who's horn was deteriorating?" Mrs Lovegood called to her nine year old daughter, her lilting voice seemed to part the rain._  
Just as her mother had begun to speak, Luna had felt Draco's presence in her mind, but the memory wouldn't stop. It was the sole thing that made Luna truly disconsolate, and she didn't want other people to see this weakness. Draco had latched onto the wisp of memory and now he'd be the only person to know, and unfortunately probably the only person who would try and talk to her about it. The memory continued.

_Luna began to run eagerly towards her mother, sparks of interest alighting her mind. Just as she was getting close, she heard a thunderous, explosive sound. A shrill scream. Shattering glass. A wand as it clattered to the cracked mud beside her. Her head hitting the ground as she was thrown backwards. _

_The sound of her heart slowly breaking._

_A dome of blazing fire surrounded the vicinity where her mother had just been standing, the look of excitement plastered to her rosy cheeked face. The feel of shaking arms hauled her up from the ground, she looked up to see her father's face, wet with tears. He pulled her towards the house, where the windows were all shattered, shards of glass forming a virulent moat. _

And the memory was gone in a flash of white.

"Luna-" Draco began.

"I think I need to go and lie down." Luna said simply, her heart throwing itself viciously against her aching chest. She felt like she might faint, her thought stream had turned into roiling waves, similar to the burning tears that threatened to tip over her bottom eyelid. "I didn't mean for you to see that memory." She whispered, and darted out of the room, through the corridors, towards the Ravenclaw common room. The brass knocker asked her a question, but her mind was too muddled to register it, let alone answer whatever riddle it had served her. Luckily, a voice behind her murmured the answer. She rushed in, and up the marble staircase, before collapsing onto her bed. It had been a long time since she had thought of that memory. It was the one thing that could break her. The one thing that hurt her.


	12. Chapter 12: The Vanishing Cabinet

_A/N: Thank you for all your reviews so far, and I appreciate everyone who has followed/favourited this story! During the holidays I may be going back to edit some of my chapters to make them more realistic, so if you've forgotten some of the event which have happened and would like to reacquaint yourself with them, look out for me telling you when I have done it. Please review, follow and favourite (which you can now do on the mobile app, let's just say I screeched in a public place when I received the update.) I hope you enjoy the chapter! :) - Misha_

Chapter 12

Luna awoke groggily from her sleep the next morning and yawned casually. She got dressed and practically fluttered down the stairs, having completely forgotten the reappearance of the sad memories which had happened the previous day. She was greeted by a few irascible gazes which brushed over her in the manner of a prickly sweeping broom. "You seem rather annoyed by something." She said to the nearest fourth year, with an air of questioning to the statement.

"There's someone here to see you. It's bad even for you to invite someone from another house into our common room, _especially_ someone like him." The sour faced boy said gratingly, gesturing towards a lithe figure who was seated casually on one of the quilted cobalt chaise lounges, his legs sprawled out in front of him across the length of furniture. He raised a hand in greeting, and turned his head slightly to the left to make eye contact with her.  
"Are you okay now, Luna?" He asked, insouciantly ignoring the burning glares of the Ravenclaws.  
"Yes thank you, Draco. What are you doing in my common room?" Luna replied lightheartedly.

"Well, I followed you back from the meeting and-"

"I suggest you continue your conversation outside." A seventh year prefect said icily, averting her gaze towards the door.  
"But it's so comfy here. And so much warmer than the Slytherin dungeon, even if you do have that intimidating statue leering down at you all the time." Draco replied, looking in mock fear at the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw which stood proudly in the middle of the room.

"Perhaps we should go." Luna said, for once taking note of the stares of the students around her. Draco shrugged, and walked from the common room, a nonchalant smile still smeared on his face. Luna scurried after him, and took her wand from inside her robes to tuck behind her ear, where it fitted a lot more comfortably.

"So how did you get into the common room?" Luna inquired.

"The magical door knocker asked me a question and I answered it, I've heard that they're often quite difficult but I think it may perhaps have sensed your feeling of urgency to get inside and to be alone and gave you a rather easy question to answer, magic still surprises me sometimes. I wouldn't have expected a charm to respond to human emotions."

"There are a lot of things about magic that we don't know yet. I'm very excited to find out."

"Me too. Are you sure you're okay now, I'd do anything to save my family, it must be very upsetting to have lost a parent." Draco said, feeling slightly awkward.  
"How did you know-" Luna began, and stopped when memories of the day before came flooding back to her. "Oh, usually I don't really think about it but sometimes it just comes back to me and it is very upsetting." Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her into a comforting hug. Luna immediately felt better, the feeling of dysphoria that accompanied memories of her mother's death seeping out of her. She kept it in mind to inform her father that hugs helped to dispel wrackspurts from the brain. She eventually pulled away and smiled up at him, "I feel much better now. Thank you Draco."

The fact that he alone could make people smile still pleasantly surprised Draco, after the many years of tormenting his peers.

"Luna, do you mind if I show you something? It's something I've been working on this year, to help people if there's an attack and I wanted to test it." Draco asked nervously.  
"Of course, where is it?"  
"The room of hidden things. Do you still have the lilcean, the bird I got you for Christmas?"

"Yes, shall I go and get it?"

"If you don't mind."

Luna scurried back into the common room and when she returned she held in her hands the tiny bird, which had its wings tucked in at its sides. As it slept it was changing colour, and was suddenly denuded of all colour, completely white as if a disease against colour had plagued it and extricated all hue from its feathers. It would be a disease which affected all of it apart from its iridescent eyes which were just fluttering open. Luna looked at it fondly and then back to Draco.

"Should we go?" She asked

He nodded and led her to the room of hidden things. Once they were inside he looked briefly around the alcove of magical objects before his eyes settled on what looked to be an exquisitely fashioned wooden cabinet. Luna thought it looked rather formidably enigmatic and wondered how it could possibly help anyone.  
The pair wove through the forest of fascinating articles, long forgotten vestiges of long forgotten people. She recalled the first time she and Draco had visited the room for something other than D.A purposes affectionately and couldn't help but smile. "Happy about something?" Draco asked in persiflage.

"I was just remembering when we were in here before." Luna said calmly.

Draco's eyes lit up with remembrance, as if a fire resided beneath his smoky grey irises. He leaned in and kissed her softly, teasingly on the mouth, she sighed involuntarily and then felt him laugh against her lips. He stepped away from her and gestured with a flourish towards the curious object, "A vanishing cabinet. I've been fixing it." He said.

"What's it for?" Luna asked.

"I thought that if there was an attack we could help people escape through it, there's a twin you see. However, we won't be able to use it this year as it lives in Borgin and Burkes and I can't imagine what would happen if we sent first years or muggle borns there. We'll have to wait until next year to put it into action."  
"But you intend to test it using the lilcean?" Luna guessed.

"Yes, but I doubt they'll do anything with it. I've tested other things so they know someone's attempting to fix it."

Luna seemed quite content with that and when Draco clicked the doors open she placed the bird inside; it began to flutter around nervously, attempting to escape and throwing its frail body against the walls. Luna gently pushed Draco out of the way and gave her full attention to the bird, stroking it and whispering something, her lilting inflection becoming very potent. The bird finally calmed down and when Luna extracted her hand from the cabinet, Draco closed the door.

They waited for a couple of minutes, anticipation sparking through their veins. Draco was worried something was going to go horribly wrong and that Luna would hate him for it. There was a small thump. The sound correlated with the action of Draco's heart. He cautiously opened the doors and the sight which greeted him made his breath catch in his throat. The bird's tiny body was stained with a single spot of blood, like a crushed berry in the snow, but there was no denying that the creature was dead. It was limp and lifeless and no longer possessed the lively spirit it once had, fluttering around and singing sprightly melodies. There was no life at all in fact; death had taken the winged being for its own cruel collection. An involuntary shiver ran through Draco, through his bones and veins and blood. He tried to call words from his brain to speak but he couldn't say anything.  
"Poor thing." Luna whispered, her words wading through the viscous silence.  
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea this would happen." Draco said, forcing the apology from his mouth.  
"I know. I can't imagine you would have purposefully killed such a delicate creature." Luna said calmly. Draco was surprised at how well she was taking this, how could anyone be this forgiving?

"I feel awful." He said.

"Don't worry, you didn't actually kill the bird." Luna soothed.  
"I pretty much sent it to its untimely grave."

"Stop worrying, Draco. It's okay; obviously it is an awful thing to happen but it isn't your fault."  
He finally gave in and nodded. "Ok."  
Luna whispered a spell and the bird disappeared. "It's a spell that sends a deceased creature to the nearest tree to its birthplace, its feathers become the leaves and its body rests beneath the roots." She said quietly, her voice dripping with excited passion.

"That's very advanced magic." Draco mused, the girl never failed to surprise him. He realised the shock must have been palpable in his voice, but Luna hadn't noticed as was usual.  
"I created it myself, with the help of Padma who knows a little more than I do, being a year older."

"That's amazing, Luna. Really, prodigiously fantastic." Draco said, his face like a newspaper detailing his shock and amazement, his skin was the pale, light paper and his eyes the grey print.  
"Thank you." Luna replied, and skipped out of the room.

The next D.A meeting, a week later, fell on the 11th February. Draco decided they would continue to work on legilimency and occulemency, seeing as they were rather complex and he would have been extremely surprised if anyone had managed it during the first lesson. He was curious as to why Harry, Ron and Lavender had decided to join the group after almost one and a half months of being absent. Draco noted that Ron and Lavender were on the complete opposite side of the room to where Harry, Hermione, Dean and Ginny were stood, and in turn Harry stood as far as he could away from Dean whilst still being a member of their small group. "Ok, most of you should remember what I told you last week about how to block someone from entering your mind's defences. If you don't, please wait here whilst I inform Harry, Ron and Lavender of what to do."

Most people wandered off in pairs to practice, though a few remained so that what to do was refreshed in their memories. "Look, Malfoy, I'm really bad at occulemency, Snape tried to teach me last year and I couldn't do it. It always ends really badly." Harry said desperately. Draco felt pleased about this, despite himself.  
"Something the famous Harry Potter can't do? Most people will never even have attempted this before so you're not exactly among professionals, Potter. Anyway, it isn't someone like Snape, or Voldemort you're up against, it'll be one of your friends." Draco then addressed the rest of the assembled group in front of him. "Ok, one of you will cast _legilimens_ in order to enter the other person's mind. This person will be thinking of a memory, which you must find. They will then attempt to conceal it from you. As you are not skilled legilimens this should be easier than it would be otherwise, but bear in mind that Occulemency is a rare and difficult skill. I am attempting to teach you it so that if you are faced in the unfortunate situation of being probed by a legilimens then you will have some idea of what to do, even if you are not able to prevent it from happening. I expect some of you will possess a natural talent for it and that is what I am mainly trying to discover; if any of you have the ability, that you will be able to use it. Is that okay?" Draco said.

"You said it's a rare and difficult skill; so can you do it, Malfoy?" Ron asked smugly. Lavender giggled and Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Yes I can do it, otherwise I wouldn't dream of teaching you it. I am in fact skilled in both legilimency and occulemency." Draco said irritably.

"Always one to big himself up." Ron whispered in Lavender's ear, however it was loud enough for Draco to hear. He felt annoyance building up within him and attempted to let it out in a powerful exhalation.  
"I think all of you are ready to go and practice. If you need my help don't hesitate to ask." He muttered through gritted teeth. The nervous looks on a few of the younger students' faces suggested that they most certainly would not be asking for his help.

"Come on, Draco. I would like to practice with you." Luna said to him, taking his hand.  
"I wouldn't think you'd want to practice with me after last week." Draco murmured incredulously.

"I think I'll be concentrating more this week. I think last week I was completely unprepared, and I'm just getting the hang of it today."  
"Ok, let's go then." Draco smiled, pointing to an empty space. He suddenly felt a light tug on his sleeve and turned around to see Hermione and Harry looking at him. "Er, you go on Luna. Think of your memory."

"What is it?" Draco said.  
"So what have you got Luna?" Hermione asked. "I couldn't help but notice your lack of a gift."  
"What for?" Draco spat.  
"Her birthday, it's today. Didn't you know?" Hermione said sceptically.

"What? No. _Damn._" Draco muttered, reviling himself angrily.

"Did you not think to ask when it is?" Harry said with a somewhat superior tone.

"No, I'm not into all that sentimental drivel like you are." Draco growled.

"At least I'm not the git who forgot my girlfriend's birthday."  
Draco was momentarily taken aback at the rather official sounding title. "I never said she was my-"

Harry rolled his eyes and walked away, followed by Hermione who was shaking her head. Draco's expression contorted into one of disgust, aimed to pierce their retreating backs. In his mind, however, worry was running wild. Thoughts were bashing past each other frantically, in their haste to get to the front of his mind.

"Are you coming, Draco?" Luna asked from across the room. He nodded and made his way over to her. They began to practice, Draco slowly began peeling away the defences of her mind, but this time felt a slight force against his own mind, pushing him back. It was kind of like he was pushing a buoyant object into water. He felt ripples in her mind's invisible barricade as he pushed his way through, catching glimpses of a cake sprouting candles, and brightly coloured wrapping paper. He lost concentration for a moment, _Merlin's bloody beard, she was thinking of a birthday. _And suddenly he could see only her in front of him; she had successfully expelled him from her mind. "Well done, Luna!" He said enthusiastically. "Now, would you mind joining Neville and Hannah, I need to go and get something."  
"Ok." She said, smiling elatedly, clearly pleased at the outcome of the practise.

Draco ran out of the room, he had just had a sudden revelation. He hurtled down all the stairs until he got to the entrance to the Slytherin common room, where he bumped into Crabbe and Goyle. "In a hurry?" Goyle asked, not unkindly.  
"Yes, actually. I need to get something." Draco replied.

"What is it?" Crabbe urged.

"I'm not telling you, it's for the task."  
"Everything seems to be about the task these days, Malfoy." Draco heard the unmistakable voice of Blaise Zabini as the boy stepped out of the common room entrance, superiority laced through his voice.  
"Don't speak to me like that." Draco spat.  
"Well it does: always disappearing, going off to random places. Is holding hands with blood traitor Loony Lovegood to do with the task as well?" Blaise inquired, raising his eyebrows, and smirking.

"What?" Crabbe said brainlessly, his mouth opened in a gormless 'o' of surprise.

"I don't have to answer to you." Draco said, and pushed past them into the common room.

Once in his dorm, he rifled through his suitcase for the item he had been looking for. It was a small notebook wrapped in glistening silver wrapping paper. It had been intended for Pansy Parkinson, but seeing as he didn't really like her anymore he figured it would be a waste to give such a gift to her. It was a notebook, that when you thought something in your mind that you needed to write down, but didn't have paper or a pen to hand, appeared on the page so you could go back to it later. He thought it would be perfect for Luna's Ravenclaw mind, probably sparking often with new ideas and questions. Also, it matched well with the newfound knowledge of Luna's enjoyment for inventing her own spells.

"Reducio." He said, tapping it with his wand and watching it shrink to a pocket sized item. He placed in an inner pocket of his robes and hurried back up to the Room of Requirement. He was greeted by complete darkness.  
"Hello?" He said into the vast blackness.  
"Shut up!" Padma Patil said playfully next to him. Draco opened his mouth to say something but a chorus of out of tune voices had already started up.

_"Happy birthday to you,_

_Happy birthday to you,_

_Happy birthday dear Luna, _

_Happy Birthday to you." _

Everyone sang mirthfully, ending with the traditional three cheers. Personally, Draco found whole happy birthday business cringe worthy and just generally embarrassing. Why would anyone want to fall witness to their friends singing an irritating song out of tune? He noticed 16 flickering candles be extinguished and the lights went up. An exquisitely detailed cake, in the shape of a sleeping dragon was levitated in front of Luna, who was smiling like Draco had never seen her smile before. This of course triggered a grin to sprout on his own face.  
"Ginny, Padma, Madeline and I baked it." Hermione piped up proudly.  
"The house elves tried to help but someone gave them a firm no. I'll give you one guess who it was." Ginny laughed.  
"I never thought I'd have friends who cared this much to bake me a cake, and organise for everyone to do this. Thank you so much!" Luna said. She so often took everything in her stride that Draco was surprised to see a watery pool forming in her eyes. A few of her closer friends began to give her presents, as everyone else sank into a hubbub of excited chatter. "_Engorgio_." Draco whispered, retuning the gift to its normal size.

Draco hung nervously at the back, and when everyone else had gone from Luna's side he handed her the pristinely wrapped present, done by a house elf of course (Draco was atrocious at present wrapping), though he bore it in mind to make sure Hermione didn't find out. He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously, another thing he hated about birthdays was the whole present giving affair, watching nervously to see whether they liked it or not made him feel like vomiting. Luna picked up the card placard with the instructions on it, Draco was glad he hadn't thought to write Pansy's name on it. She smiled as she began to reach the end. "Thank you very much, Draco! This is wonderful for me, I'm always thinking of new ideas!" She exclaimed. "Although, I didn't think you'd be getting anything for me seeing as you only just found out it was my birthday half an hour ago when Hermione and Harry told you."

"They told you that? Bloody scarhead and his frizzy haired-" Draco began.

"No! You think I don't know you well enough to see your panicked expression? Admittedly, it was rather funny seeing your horror at my birthday related memory. It was my ninth birthday by the way." Luna giggled.  
"I'm sure it was hilarious." Draco said, fighting the smile that was playing at his lips.  
He took her hand and Blaise's words rang minaciously in his ears. _Is holding hands with blood traitor Loony Lovegood to do with the task as well?_ But he pushed it away quickly.

He pulled her close to him so that they were pressed against each other. "Happy birthday." He whispered, and leaned his face towards hers.  
"I noticed you didn't join in with the singing." Luna said, making him stop midway. He chuckled quietly. "I don't sing."  
"You should, it's quite pleasant."

She smiled up at him, her face an open map of her thoughts and emotions, her hair the soft frame. Her mouth was a curving river bend of light pink. Draco leaned in and parted her lips with his, taking in her sweet taste and the way she softly responded. He heard a few gasps from behind him which made him want to laugh aloud, but forgot the urge as Luna entwined her arms around his neck and played with his hair. He began to twist his own hands through her hair, letting the curls sweep over him like a blissful tide. He then realised that they were doing this in front of everyone, and although he didn't want to, he reluctantly pulled away with a groan at his own actions.

He turned to look at the pulsating mass of students. The majority of people were paying them no attention but just the people he hadn't wanted to see were looking straight at them, their expressions ranging from shocked to bewildered to mirthful. He smiled casually at them and said, "I think I should be getting back to my common room. Goodbye Luna, I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday." And with a quick kiss on the mouth to Luna and a jaunty wave of his hand, he left the room, almost drowning in happiness.

Luna waved him goodbye and wondered if he understood how much what he had just done had meant to her. His public display of affection had shown that he didn't care if people knew what he felt about her, even though she was the 'crazy' girl, and he didn't care what other people thought about the fact that he wanted to be with her. Although she knew that it should only be expected of someone to show these things, she felt a wave of euphoria and exuberance wash over her. She had not been sure if he just wanted to keep their relationship secret, or if he had been okay with their friends knowing. Luna knew that of course she would have to keep it a secret from the other Slytherins, for his wellbeing as well as her own safety, but that didn't seem to matter. It was logical that the Slytherins not know of this part of Draco's life as they would be sure to pry, and question his motives, leading to unnecessary questioning and awkwardness.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on her shoulder. "I've got a letter for you from Professor Flitwick." Madeline piped up, breaking the silence that had formed between the group who had seen the event happen: Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Dean, Padma, and of course Madeline.

"Oh, ok. Thank you." Luna said, still in a rather dream like state.

_Dear Luna, _

_ First of all, I would like to wish you a happy birthday! It is hard to believe that the first year I encountered four and a half years ago, eager for knowledge and full of ideas is now sixteen. It has been a pleasure to see you flourish as a witch and as a person. Sentiments aside, I am delivering a message from Madame Hooch, who wishes to inform you that you will be welcomed as one of the school's Quidditch commentators. You begin on Saturday. _

_ Yours sincerely,_

_Professor Filius Flitwick_


	13. Caught the snitch, rewarded with poison

_A/N:__ Greetings once again! The joys of weekly updates will probably now be at an end, as I go on holiday now for two weeks and then it's straight back to school, and unfortunately year 11 which means lots of exams :( I will still be updating but at a lot more, shall I say, steady, rate. _

_I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for all your reviews/follows/favourites, whenever I log on and see a new one it really makes me smile. I hope I don't sound like a broken record ;) Now onto the story! - Misha,x_

**Chapter 13**

Luna watched serenely from the teacher's box as the large batch of students swamped towards the Quidditch Pitch, their brightly coloured scarves and banners giving the impression of a canvas splattered with four different colours of paint. She was excited to be commentating on the match, something she had been yearning to do since third year, although the thought of speaking in front of so many people sent an unfamiliar tingle of nerves shivering through her body. She couldn't recall ever feeling nervous before, not even when she had been waiting to be sorted in front of the whole school. Part of the minor anxiety was probably due to the fact that today's match was between tempestuous rivals Slytherin and Gryffindor and when they were put head to head it rarely ended without injury.

When the stands were full Luna couldn't help but think of pizza. The stuffed crust of cheering supporters surrounding the pitch of pure green, dotted with various toppings of different positions and balls and goals. _I like pizza, _she thought to herself. The chuckles of the crowd told her that she hadn't in fact thought it, but said it aloud and right into the microphone in front of her. She decided to continue the accidental opinion she had voiced and extend it into a bout of viewers taking part. "What is your favourite topping on a pizza?" She said. She expected a half-hearted response, if anything, and was pleasantly surprised to be answered by a raucous of shouted responses. She giggled quietly. "Miss Lovegood, this is a Quidditch match not a quiz show." Professor McGonagall sighed.  
"That doesn't mean you can't have some audience participation, Professor." Luna smiled. The teacher merely raised her eyebrows and turned her full attention to the players waiting below.

Draco couldn't help but feel nervous about Luna's commentary; she was painstakingly honest and that could lead to some unwanted pointing out of his team's cheating. He looked up towards the teacher's box and saw her beaming, her azure scarf cradling her neck, and her blonde curls twirling around her face in the wind. The rosy flush in her cheeks made her look even more beatific than usual. She had looked positively rapturous when she'd bounded up to him just before he'd gone into the changing rooms, wishing him luck and showing him her emerald hair bow in the shape of a snake, which wriggled in a very serpentine manner and, she had told him, emitted tiny green fireworks from its forked tongue when Slytherin scored a goal. He was surprised she was supporting Slytherin, considering the team of bastards he played with, but the fact that she was doing it just for him made him want to wrap her up in a hug and kiss her until they were both dizzy. Unfortunately he had to just hug her quickly and whisper thank you in her ear, because Crabbe and Goyle were walking out of the changing rooms, their beater's bats in hand. "Why were you hugging Lovegood?" Crabbe asked, wrinkling his nose. "Was Blaise right about you two?"  
"No, she said if I hugged her she'd give a good commentary to Slytherin." Draco said quickly.  
"Doesn't seem worth it, you get her blood traitor germs on your clothes." Goyle said, looking disgusted. Draco's hand viscerally flew to his wand, anger like a vicious earthquake raging through him, tearing all sense apart. He reluctantly rescinded his hand from his wand and nodded. "I think I was just having a moment of stupidity. We all know she's a Gryffindor lover, probably lying to me." He said, letting out a breath which he hoped contained all his anger. "And don't say those things about her, she's a person too. I'd rather have her germs than your cretin ones." Nope, the ire had remained.

"What?"  
"I need to go get changed." Draco said quickly, changing the subject. "Now piss off." He said jokingly, making sure to add a laugh, even though he had mainly said it to provide self-satisfaction.

* * *

Once he was out on the pitch, waiting for Madame Hooch to give the signal that play had started, Draco felt nerves began frantically buzzing through his mind. He had learnt to ride a broom at a young age and was a fairly talented seeker, but he barely ever took time to practice anymore and never went to team practises. He knew this game was going to be difficult, especially since he was against Potter. 'The youngest seeker in a century' as he had heard about ten million times, he was no more impressed now than he had been when he'd first found out; which was not at all. Of course Potter had to be good at everything. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the shrill sound of a whistle, triggering him to instinctively push off the ground and into the air and for his heart to momentarily stop beating.

"And there's Vaisey of Slytherin with the quaffle," said a dreamy voice, resonating across the stands and pitch in lilting waves. "Oh, Ginny Weasley flew into him; I think it may have been on purpose. I don't blame her; he was saying some rather unpleasant things about Gryffindor."  
Draco laughed to himself, and he could see Ginny visibly trying not to get angry with her friend.

"He's lost the quaffle, Ginny really is a good player, I'm glad she's my friend." Luna said, looking distinctly proud of her friend. Next to her, Professor McGonagall was looking slightly uncomfortable, like she was itching to grab the microphone and commentate the game herself.

Half an hour later Slytherin were losing badly. Draco hadn't spotted the snitch and Luna was distracting him. "One hundred and ninety-thirty" to Gryffindor." McGonagall barked, interrupting Luna's obscure comments.

"Is it already? Yes, I can see the Slytherin team is suffering from Loser's Lurgy, especially Urquhart the captain. And Draco Malfoy seems to be rather annoyed that he hasn't yet spotted the snitch even though Harry Potter is currently chasing after it." She said, her voice turning even dreamier at Draco's name. Draco immediately started darting his eyes around the pitch to look for Harry. When he eventually found him, he saw that he was indeed after the snitch.

"Vaisey tries to score but is stopped by a brilliant save by Ron Weasley. I do hope he makes up with Hermione soon, it's upsetting seeing them arguing." Luna said, watching as Ron's face reddened to match his hair, and Lavender was fuming so much that Luna wouldn't be surprised if smoke drifted from her ears.

Draco, meanwhile, was chasing after the snitch, which was just more than arm's length away from Harry, who was desperately reaching for it. Draco knocked him off course so that he was now closer to the snitch. "Draco just knocked Harry out of the way, is that allowed? It seems a little too aggressive. Speaking of unnecessary aggression, Crabbe and Goyle seem to be using those bats in a way I'm not sure is normal for Quidditch."

McGonagall looked horrified and grabbed the microphone, "Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, if you do not stop throwing those bats at people's skulls you will get a match ban for the rest of the year! Those bats are made of goblin forged metal and will induce horrific pain, as I'm sure you know."

Draco suddenly felt a sharp hit against his left side. He had been hit by a bludger and Harry was once again closest to the snitch. "Oh dear, that looked painful. Is that supposed to happen?" Luna said, looking sympathetic.  
Draco swore as he clutched his aching side, which felt like it was being dipped in a hurricane of dragon flame. He suddenly swooped in front of Harry and grabbed the snitch. This was something he had never experienced before, holding the fluttering gold object in his hand as if a live bird was enclosed in his palm. He began to smile but then he heard, "Draco Malfoy catches the snitch, but Gryffindor win. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to the scoring." Luna said.

His smile fell, and he looked at the snitch in his hand. He furiously threw the snitch to the ground and swore loudly. "Better luck next time." Harry said in mock rapport. Draco wanted to punch him in the face. "What the hell were you doing Malfoy?!" Urquhart shouted at him. "Did you not realise how badly we were losing?"  
"It's just fucking quidditch, no need to get so angry." Draco muttered.

"If you don't care, why are you even on the team?"  
"I don't know." Draco said, and walked away, ignoring the calls of his teammates.

He felt a small hand slip into his, "That was amazing the way you caught the snitch! I don't think anyone's beaten Harry when he's fully concentrating." Luna beamed, overflowing with pride.  
"We still lost." Draco said monotonously.

"But it's a personal victory for you isn't it! Slytherin may have lost, but Draco Malfoy beat Harry Potter for the snitch! I'm very happy for you anyway."  
Luna had a way of making him feel good about everything and Draco suspected it was as effortless for her as taking a step forward.  
"Thank you." Draco smiled, the expression feeling good on his face. He could feel the crowd swarming around him and hear the loud chatter of the excited students but suddenly none of that mattered, he kissed Luna in front of everyone, feeling her hair tickling his face and her arms wrapping around his neck. She kissed him back with a fervour he would never expect from the erratic fifth year.

Luna felt his heart racing against her chest from the Quidditch match and he was hot and flustered from his exertion of energy. She decided she wanted him to do Quidditch before he kissed her every time. It was impulsive and ardent and intense and it was something she had never experience before.  
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Draco heard a familiar, irritating voice shriek. A hand clawed at the back of his jumper and pulled him away. Luna almost fell back and he put an arm around her waist just in time to pull her back up. The look of shock on Luna's face as she fell made him even more furious. "What the bloody hell did it look like Pansy?" Draco snapped at Pansy's ire marred face.  
"Lovegood, Draco? Luna bloody Lovegood? She's out of her mind, and she's naïve and stupid. She probably didn't even know what kissing was before your little interaction there. I thought you liked me Draco. I thought you broke up with me because you were trying to protect me." Pansy said, disgust and hurt mingling in her irises.  
"Actually, I'm not naïve and stupid, the things I believe, I have proof for. I'm not a senseless little girl who believes everything she hears, I have reasons." Luna said, her voice a lot louder than usual.

Draco realised that for once she was angry, spitting her words out like fire, her normally calm grey eyes blazing like a storm. "You can call my crazy, or weird, or _loony_, but I refuse to be called stupid and naïve because that is just not true in the slightest." Luna said, her voice laced with poison. And suddenly it returned capriciously back to normal. "I'll leave you two to talk alone." She said calmly, and skipped off.

"See, out of her mind, the stupid bitch." Pansy smirked, her eyes piercing Luna's retreating form. "Are you going to explain or not?"

"Don't call her that. If anyone's a bitch, then it's you." Draco snarled, his fists clenched so hard he could feel his fingernails biting into his palms, and his hands shaking so hard he wouldn't be surprised if they exploded. "If you really want to know, then fine. But promise me you won't tell anyone else."

"I think after all your lies, I don't have to promise you anything." Pansy said venomously.

"Fine. Look, I like Luna, a lot, and do you want to know why? She tried to help me when no-one else noticed anything was wrong. She makes me forget all the horrible things going on in my life and she makes me laugh and she makes me happy, which is something most people can't do." Draco said, trying desperately to make Pansy understand.

"She's out of her mind, Draco." Pansy pleaded.

"No, she's different. And you know why I broke up with you, because I didn't want to have to lie to you. Me pretending that I'm in love with you is something that I didn't want to do because it would hurt your feelings, and mine, and Luna's."  
"And instead you decided it would be best to just hurt my feelings."  
"What was I meant to do Pansy?"  
"Forget about Lovegood, and focus on me! I expect all those times you've been working on the task you've been with her. Are you even trying to kill Dumbledore?"  
Draco's voice lowered to a whisper, desperation and urgency palpable in his voice this time. "Pansy we've been friends for years, and I trust you, but you can't tell anyone this."  
"What is it, Draco?" Pansy whispered back, knowing this was different, her anger forgotten and the love and care she still felt for him taking its place.

"Do you promise?" He whispered, looking around him to make sure that no-one was around them, but all that remained were a sea of footprints in the mud and squashed grass, muddy vestiges of the populous crowd that could still be seen on their way to the castle.

"I promise."  
"I'm finding it really hard to carry out this task; I don't want to kill Dumbledore. I may be a death eater, but I'm not a murderer. I can't do it, I've tried but I just can't."

"I can help-"

"I don't want anyone to help me, I don't want anyone else I know to become a murderer, but if I don't kill him, I'll be the one who's dead. I just felt it was right to tell you Pansy, don't tell anyone, don't do anything, just know." Draco said, and without another word began his trek back to the castle.

* * *

Once there he headed straight to the potions classroom. "Yes, Draco?" Snape said, not looking up from the stack of essays he was presumably marking, a tower furnished with the desperate scribblings of students hoping for good grades. In the case of most of the Gryffindors, this was a fruitless attempt. "I am going to attempt the moonseed poison." Draco said calmly.  
"And why might that be?" Said Snape, finally looking up, his eyebrows raised and attempting a perplexed expression but the small smirk tugging at his thin lips suggested otherwise. He knew that Draco knew that he knew why Draco was attempting the moonseed poison, but he had been trying to get him to open up about the task Voldemort had set him throughout the year.  
"I think you already know the answer to that, Professor Snape." Draco said, through gritted teeth. A sudden realisation hit him. "What are you doing in here anyway? I expected the classroom to be vacated, and if anyone was in here it would be Professor Slughorn would it not."

"Do you think I can't hear your hushed telling of plans as you walk towards the common room? You need to learn how to be more successful in your secrecy. Now tell me what you plan to do with a moonseed potion." Snape said venomously.  
Draco didn't feel comfortable telling him of his plans, he had a suspicion that Snape's allegiance resided with Dumbledore and he didn't want the headmaster to find out what he planned to do as he would almost certainly try talk him out of it. He couldn't afford that, not with his family's lives at stake. "I plan to mix the potion with mead and swap it with the bottle Slughorn had so proudly proclaimed in our lesson last week that he was reserving for Professor Dumbledore." Draco said quietly, so that it was barely audible in case there was someone spying on them outside the door.  
"You'll probably need this then." Snape bent down and opened the bottom drawer, taking out a key and levitating it across the room into one of Draco's hands. "That is the key to the most dangerous stores. Be careful with them. Some, if spilt on yourself will cause your skin and bone to melt away as easily as molten candlewax, others, if smelt a little too closely will fill your lungs and windpipe with gas, and cause you to drown on your own breaths. Enjoy." Snape muttered and went back to marking the essays.

Draco opened up the cupboard and a metallic hand gripped his neck, squeezing his throat as if he were an unsightly blemish, eviscerating him of air. "Password." A voice from within the cupboard lost in darkness leered.  
"Venomous Guatemalan bullfrog." Snape called. The hand retracted and Draco let out a relieved and necessary breath. He collected his ingredients: moonseed, of course, a bright white collection of opaline seeds, which grew in a single night if under the light of a full moon; dragon blood, Chinese fireball to be exact; poisonous mushroom, a fleshy grey-pink fungus that reminded Draco eerily of diseased skin; the powdered shell of a poisonous orange snail, which smelt like burning akin to the element of the same colour; and a large amount of juices from crushed moonseed berries, which unlike their solid brethren, were dark dahlia, _like blood, _Draco thought, feeling ill.

As Draco made the potion, Snape remained in the room mainly without interference, although occasionally he looked up at bluntly corrected him on his methods. Draco had always thrived in potions, due to the fact that he hung onto every word Snape had said in the first five years of his magical education. Now, with Professor Slughorn obsessing over Potter, it was hard to have respect for him and therefore to listen carefully to his instructions. When he was done, he summoned a mead bottle, which he had magically duplicated from the one that now sat innocently in Slughorn's office, from the Slytherin dungeons. He was surprised when he heard the infernal racket of the bottle slamming against the closed door, due to the fact that he didn't think it would be able to get out of the Slytherin dormitories. He hurried to the door and opened it, catching the bottle as it attempted to smash against his hand. He carefully poured the poison into the bottle, watching through the tinted glass as the fiery red liquid fused with the dark mead within to create a bubbling drink of burgundy. He then snuck into Slughorn's office, replaced the safe bottle of mead with his poisoned one, and rushed back through the corridor, feigning innocence as he stared unblinkingly at the panelled floor, imagining falling through the obsidian cracks into an abyss of nothingness. Supposing it would be a fair punishment for what he had just done, he walked into the potions classroom, and upon seeing Snape had already gone during his absence, he used his wand to quickly tidy everything away and decided to take the mead back to the common room instead. Hoping it would distract everyone from asking him questions about what he had just done. Hoping he wouldn't receive words which would increase the guilt which was a tenacious force, pushing him lower and lower until he felt he would be under the earth, which was sure to be the fate of whoever took that potion. Hoping that Dumbledore would know the antidote, and that therefore he wouldn't have become a murderer.


End file.
